


The Rules of Robotics (And Love)

by HunterWizard



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Angst, Bisexual Shiro (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Cute, Denial, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, F/M, Female Pidge | Katie Holt, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Human Allura (Voltron), Human Coran (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Idiots in Love, Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Minor Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Pidge | Katie Holt Angst, Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Rare Pairings, Robotics, Sassy Pidge | Katie Holt, Secret Crush, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Space Mom Allura (Voltron), Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), Three Laws of Robotics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-08 23:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 91,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HunterWizard/pseuds/HunterWizard
Summary: The rules of robotics has always interested Katie Holt. So in her first year of upper schooling, Katie adopts childhood nickname "Pidge Gunderson" to join the now-dead Voltron Robotics Club, a group of students fighting to the National Robotics Tournament. But little did she know that the club would bring her something entirely different.Namely, Lance McClain.~~~Law #1:A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.Hahaha, Pidge has broken rule number one without abandon.Law #2:A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.Since when did Pidge Gunderson ever follow instructions or orders given to her?Law #3:A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.And since when did Pidge Gunderson protect her own existence?If she truly did, she would have rid Lance McClain from her life.AKA the Robotics Club AU where Voltron is the ultimate robot built as Zarkon's challenger, our Paladins are secret robot geeks, and Pidge and Lance are two members who never seem to stay apart.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I decided to take a crack at writing Voltron, as I seem to have become completely and utterly enamoured with it in the past week. SEASON 3 GUYS!!  
> So here, have this Plance/Pidgance/Lidge rarepair fic.
> 
> EDIT: I'VE UPDATED CHAPTER 1 WITH EXTRA BACKSTORY/STORY CONTENT PLEASE READ IF YOU READ CHAPTER 1 ANY TIME BEFORE SEPTEMBER 2017  
> BUT WAIT:  
> Just to clarify (and to avoid possible discourse bcuz we all know this fandom well, let's be honest):  
> Lance, Pidge and Hunk are 15 going on 16,  
> Keith, Shiro and Allura are 17 going on 18  
> EDIT: I'm aging Allura up a little, maybe over 18-20

_Pidge closes her eyes, the glasses that perennially perch on her nose closed and grasped in her fist. And her brain begins to stir._

_Fog_.

 _Colours_.

_The shadow of someone holding her hand._

_She has Voltron, standing before her, fully formed and ready. The lions are tall, proud, as brightly coloured as their names. Controllers, screams, people._

_She sees the Galra Robotics Club dismantled and taken apart, the ruins of their mini-Zarkon on the ground at her feet, irreversible damage. Probably done by her._

_She sees five, no, six people before her._

_Shiro, looking as regal and leader-like as ever, ever the dad friend,_

_Hunk, his best smile on his face, arms outstretched and beckoning,_

_Keith, wearing that stupid cropped jacket and hint of a smile on his stupid face,_

_Coran, mustache perfect as usual, smiling and holding a cup of coffee,_

_Allura, gorgeous, eyes showing off the intelligence that many didn't see on the surface,_

_and_...

 _Lance_.

_Lance, arm extended out to her, smile giddy and idiotic like he always was._

_Pidge smiles without thinking._

But...

_Pidge quickly opens her eyes, letting the world back in, slipping on her glasses and running off into the distance._

~~~

 _Goddamn_. 

Katie didn't think that a prep school would be as packed as a public school. 

Awkwardly, one hand bolstering the plethora of books she carried, Katie tugs on the annoyingly-long pleated skirt and adjusts the strangling collar of the uniform that she hated so. Everything about it sucked. 

The school was nice and large, a Altea's younger division that they called the Garrison. The Garrison, where Katie was doomed to spend her days in until Altea, in which she was doomed to spend her years in until graduation. The scholarship was good...but school in general really wasn't. 

Katie bounces on her heels, stretching herself out to try and see where her classroom was. Being smaller than the average wasn't a good thing, most of the time. 

Finally, huffing from annoyance, she leaps up, grinning when she spots classroom 394 in the far distance amidst the tall heads. Seriously, who was that tall in middle school-

Oof!

Someone accidentally knocks Katie at the peak of her jump, sending her sprawling embarrassingly across the floor. 

"Watch it!" she yells, turning around and quickly jumping up, ignoring the whispers around her. Empty cans make the most noise, she reminds. 

  Well shit, then Katie was an empty can, then.   

Her eyes lock onto a boy with the odd combination of Cuban features and ocean-blue eyes, blown wide in surprise. 

Hey...

He was kind of...cute?

"Sorry!" the boy exclaims, holding out a hand to her. "I didn't notice-"

"How do you not notice someone jumping?" she questions, inwardly cringing at how standoffish she'd sounded. It was clearly an accident, but words, words just like spilling out. Too many words. 

"Well, sorry?" he says. Then, he glances at Pidge, already looking around for her bearings again, lost in the fall. 

"You look lost," he remarks, voice fluctuating in the way that a middle-schooling boy's voice would. Annoying, almost. 

"I'm not." Katie frowns resolutely, making the boy burst out into laughter. He peers over, his height allowing for it, reading her timetable. 

"Riddle me this, where is Classroom 394?"

"Riddle me this, will you stop bothering me?"

"Battling my question with a question, nice, good distraction," he compliments, raising his eyebrows. "I'm Lance, by the way."

"I guess you won't stop bothering me," Katie chuckles, smirking. Lance laughs again, the smile lighting up his face. 

"First year as well?" he asks, nudging her arm, pretending not to notice her curious glances from her timetable to the classrooms. 

Totally lost. 

"Yep," she replies, popping the p. She doesn't notice that they're walking as they converse about the most random topics, from peanut butter to coastal erosion, slowly but surely, standing outside a classroom with the door labeled '394'.

"Oh," she breathes. 

"Well, I guess you finally answered my question, now you know where 394 is!" Lance exclaims, smiling. The bell goes off, Katie quickly grabbing Lance's arm before he rushes off. 

"Wait!" 

Oh gosh, that came out so loud. 

"Can we-can we have lunch together? Meet in front of the library?" she asks shyly, a lot less demure than her first exclamation. 

"Of course you would know where the library is already," Lance jokes. Pidge smacks him on the arm. 

"Ow! Are you always this violent?" he complains, rubbing his arm. She shrugs. 

"Stick around me longer and you'll find out."

"Sure." He fixes her with a judgmental stare, making them both crack up with laughter. "By the way, I'd like a name."

"Katie Holt." Pidge looks up at him, cringing when she says her own name. 

Crap. 

"Do you have class here too?" she asks, moving a bit to the side to allow other students to pass through. He shakes his head. 

"Nah, I'm in Block B."

"That's a long walk," she realises after a moment. "Sorry for holding you up."

Lance shrugs casually, ruffling his hair and hand going down to rub the back of his neck, not meeting her gaze. 

"It was worth it walking you here." 

Katie grins. A friend? 

Finally. 

Lance seemed nice, and smart, and had the right opinions on the use of peanut butter. That was very important. 

"Library at 1, okay?"

"Roger that, Katie Holt."

Lance disappears into the flood of people, long legs propelling him to the left. 

What's the smile that doesn't seem to leave Katie's face?

~~~

Katie spends the year alternating between working and befriending Lance McClain, Cuban-born gaming nut that for some reason, always hung around her. It was nice to have a friend, but Lance just always stuck around, either annoying or amusing her. Either way, it was okay. 

In the second year, Hunk Garret joins the Garrison, quickly becoming a great friend to them both, his sweet and quirky personality calming to Lance and Katie both. Lance and Katie grow close this year, plagued by the stress of studies and hard decision that come with second and third year. 

In the third year, with the already annoying (ha, Katie!) height difference growing even more as they stressfully approach their entrance into Altea, Katie talks more to Lance. Not about peanut butter, but about how her mother hates her robotics and how no one could know about it. Katie also leans on Lance, sits on Lance, lies on a couch with Lance, Hunk raising his eyebrows every time they say "We're just friends."

Ha, no, Katie. 

It's one of those days, Lance's arms slung casually around Katie as they traverse the school, able to walk around with pride as third years, Lance still mercilessly joking that she looked like a first year. The senior's notice board is plastered with papers and announcements, covered in what they could look forward to in the hell known as high school that was rapidly approaching. The clubs, the accelerated exams, the requirements. 

Yeowch. 

Normally, Katie wouldn't even spare it a glance. 

ALTEA'S VOLTRON ROBOTICS CLUB: MEMBERS WANTED 

Katie tiptoes, staring up at it. Lance rips it down without a second thought, Katie leaning her head on his shoulder. 

"You know, Lance, I'm thinking of changing my name when we go to high school. So mom doesn't know what I'm up to, and well, I don't like my name much."

Lance leans his head on hers, ignoring the glances that came with it. Yes, they were commonly shipped, but it wasn't like they cared. Like they always said, you know the friendship is real when you get shipped. 

"What are you changing it to?"

Katie pauses for a moment thinking. 

"I don't know why, but I've always liked Pidge Gunderson. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi film. What do you think?"

Lance chuckles.

"Pidgeon, I think that's a great name."

~~~

2 YEARS LATER: YEAR 1 IN ALTEA HIGH SCHOOL

The cafe that Voltron Robotics  currently occupies would be very nice and peaceful, bolstered by the chirps of birds in early morning, cool winds and smell of fresh coffee brewed by Allura and Coran, but-

"You told your mum what?!" Shiro screams, completely and utterly surprised.

"Since when did Pidge have a  _boyfriend_?!" Lance and Hunk exclaim in perfect unison.

"I don't!" Pidge butts in, silencing a eager Shiro. "My mum just assumes I do, considering most of the people I hang out with are male. To her, that means like fifty potential suitors."

Pidge collapses in her chair, her tiny body perfectly occupying the area. Apparently, hanging out with the opposite gender meant sexual attraction. Assuming meant making an 'ass out of you and me', so Pidge never felt more frustrated when her mother would think a friend was her boyfriend. At least she wasn't normally 'traditionally feminine' enough to be mistaken for one of the boys' girlfriends by anyone else. Not that being feminine was a bad thing.

"Does she even know you were pretending to be a boy to join our club?" Hunk questions. The five attend Altea High together, Shiro being the oldest and Pidge the (prodigious) youngest. But there was a rather stagnant robotics club, handed down by traitorous member Zarkon. It seemed like it was going to only be Shiro, Keith, Lance and Hunk, but it turned out that Katie Holt, now Pidge Gunderson, wanted to join without anyone else knowing who she was outside of the club.

"Nope." Pidge, satisfied, reclines in her chair. "Hey, c'mon, I'm more clever than you think."

The four raise their eyebrows at Pidge.

"Since when have we ever even underestimated you, smol bean?" Lance jokes, fluffing her already fluffy hair. Pidge smacks his hand away, shooting him a glare.

"There's an obvious underestimation."

"Stop it, Lance. Pidge, why the hell did you let your mom think you're dating someone?" Keith interrupts, shooting Lance a equally strong glare. Lance makes a face back.

"Do you think I wanted to bring home a boyfriend?" Pidge Gunderson complains, pushing up her large round glasses with one hand. "As if I'd even want to date. I'm perfectly happy with just my computer and cryptids, thank you very much."

Keith gives her a high-five.

"I'm just going to tell my mum that I'm never going to have a boyfriend. Then dad won't expect someone to play catch with and I'll be left alone."

"Pidge, dear," Allura sets down Pidge's favourite peanut butter and chocolate muffin, special of Castle Cafe. "I pity the boys that will never get a chance to date you."

What boys, Pidge thinks. If she were like Allura, with her silky white hair, perfect curvy figure, and a face that shone brighter than the sun itself, yeah, there would probably be boys throwing themselves at her. Look at Lance, and more secretively, Shiro. But she was Pidge. She wasn't in search of attention for looks. She wanted recognition for the robotics she knew she could do. And that's the only reason she was in Voltron. Yep.

"Yeah, who would pass up this cutie~" Lance fluffs Pidge's hair again, much to her annoyance, but she can't stop that little pink tint that colours her small cheeks. Allura smiles, throwing a wink at Shiro, handing out the rest of the food and leaving.

Pidge looks at Shiro's napkin and almost laughs.

"Well, no more talk about faux dating. We need to think of the robotics contest!" Pidge quickly changes the subject, much to Lance's amusement.

"C'mon, Pidgeotto, it's a Saturday. Let's go to a beach or something, not work!"

Lance's suggestion irks Pidge for a moment, because all he wanted to do was probably ogle tall, voluptuous girls in bikinis rather than actually hang with the Voltron gang. But sure.

"I'll pack the picnic!"

~~~

The beach is as warm and sunny as Pidge expected with June rapidly approaching. The minute they reach, Pidge sees so many of Lance's would-be targets. Lance had even put on his lucky swin trunks, blue with little duckies on them. Pidge had changed into a swimsuit, the only purpose to not ruin her clothes. 

"You changed into an actual, real, made-for-purpose swimsuit?" Hunk notices. "You never do that."

"Well," Pidge replies, "I think it's a little smarter than sacrificing perfectly good clothes."

Shiro looks like he's about to burn, his pale skin starting to redden rapidly with barely five minutes of sun exposure. Now that Pidge looked properly, Keith looked like he was going to be set on fire, tongue out and panting. 

Pidge carries her laptop and headphones in a canvas bag, also having a beach blanket and small umbrella. She'd changed into a one piece green swimsuit, even. Yes, she had grown used to random beach excursions and therefore kept a beach bag nearby, no, she did not like the beach. She only went along for the friends. At least today there was some decent winds that somewhat combated the UV rays just tearing away at her patience.  

Why would anyone want to bake in hot sun, get sand everywhere, get perfectly good electronics wet from the sea? Nah, you could probably tell Pidge preferred the sanctity of her room at home, geeking it out with her family.

Hunk hands her a large jar of peanut butter, other hand offering a large spoon and a big smile on his face. 

"Hunk, you are my freaking saviour."

Pidge digs out a huge scoop and sticks it in her mouth. Hunk sits down next to her on her green rug.

They stare at Lance, eagerly running from woman to woman, throwing numerous pick-up lines and sleazy smiles their way.

"Does he know how stupid he looks when he does that?" Pidge asks Hunk, who looks like he's about to throw up his hearty lunch.

"Either he doesn't know, or he seriously doesn't care." 

If anything, Lance probably thinks his 'stupid' behaviour was attractive, and it most certainly was not. At Altea High, Hunk, Pidge (over there referred to as 'Katie') and Lance were in the same grade, while Keith and Shiro were in the grade above. So yeah, Pidge wasn't sure whether Lance was really a friend. She preferred to stay distant from most of her classmates, Lance and Hunk occasionally being the exceptions. Voltron made them grow a bit closer, she'd admit.  

"Girl, you've already activated my-"

Pidge spits out her peanut butter. 

"LANCE!"

Shiro tugs Lance by the ear, apologising profusely to the poor Nyma that walks away, confused.

"Did you see the face on that one?!" Pidge cracks up, laughing so hard that she doubles back onto Hunk, equally riled up.

"Hmph." A disgruntled Lance sniffs at the sight, rather miffed. "She was so all over me, until SHIRO DECIDED TO BREAK US APART."

"You know she's been with Rolo for a year right?" Keith points out, gesturing to a muscly guy that had an arm wrapped around Nyma.

"STILL-"

"Face it Lance, there isn't a girl out there who's actually susceptible to your charms."

Lance's eyes glint, and suddenly Pidge felt like she'd gotten herself in a big pile of Kaltenecker poop. 

"Well, Pidge, Pidgey, Pidgeon, Pidgeotto-"

"Pokemon Go is over, face it , McClain." Pidge cuts in. Shiro sits by, eyes glinting too. Keith too. Hunk too. Wait, what the hell was going on?!

"Since you seem so adamant to the fact that I will never have a girlfriend-" 

Pidge looks up at the substantially taller Lance, eyes focusing on his and not wanting to go any lower down for her own self-respect.

"At least you admit it's a fact that you will never have a girlfriend," she smirks. Keith high-fives her again.

"Hey!" Lance exclaims, pouting. Hunk laughs loud, giving a Lance a big bear hug.

"Aww, did someone hurt your non-existent heart, Lance?" Pidge jokes. Lance pretends to be shot, falling on the sand. 

"You've wounded me so, fair maiden, now help me out!" Lance's arms flop uselessly to his sides. Pidge jabs him with her elbow,  _hard_ , smirk plastered on her face, making him jolt skyward with eyes blown wide. 

"Pidge!" 

~~~

Lance never did end up finishing that sentence, whatever it was supposed to be, even on the car drive back in Shiro's minivan("You're such a dad, Shiro!"). But Pidge could definitely feel something had changed. She wasn't really sure what, but Lance seemed to be behaving slightly...differently. 

As per usual, Pidge sat on someone's lap (or even sometimes, lay down on multiple ones) because of the cramped nature of the car's backseat. ("It's a freakin minivan, Shiro, can't you be a good suburban mom and choose one with actual space!") And of course, as the smallest person, she'd been chosen to stick it out in random places in the car. 

Some days she would be on Hunk, probably her best friend after Matt. But most days she would sitting on Lance, because she knew he would think nothing of it. And the height difference made it less uncomfortable slash awkward. Today, she sat on Lance. (Inconveniently, 

Normally all would be fine. In the van, they would chat, discuss the next robot project, make jokes about each other ("Look, Keith's back in the 1980's with that hairstyle") and everything was so casual with each other. No problem at all. 

But now, Lance just looked different, and it frustrated the analytical Pidge. He looked like he was...actually thinking for once. Like there was something actually going around inside his head. Weird.

"What's up with you, Lance?" Pidge whispers, her voice indistinguishable behind the banter going on with Shiro, Keith and Hunk. Something about Hunk's new girlfriend, that also happened to be Shiro and Keith's classmate in the higher grade.

"Ooohh, Hunk's dating an older woman!"

"No-nothing's up with me, Pidge. Nothing."

Lance's eyes shift and flit everywhere, so fast that Pidge can't really comprehend where they're going. From up, down, but Pidge wonders why. After all, she's blocking most of his line of sight, so where are his eyes even going? Her head rests next to his, as she adjusts herself to be more comfortable.

"You sure?"

"What makes you so worried, Pidgeon? You don't usually ask."

Lance smiles, actually, smirks. Pidge returns the smirk, the two breaking out into laughter. 

"I think it's just nothing then." Lance lets out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, Pidge feeling it through her slender back. He seems nervous, tense, _something_. 

Pidge doesn't know what it is. 

~~~

"We've got some news." 

Shiro stands at the front of their small borrowed workshop, bulky arms folded and eyes stern. Pidge isn't really listening, preferring to fiddle with the little robot she'd finishied after spending some time on the design. Rover, she finally decided to call it. Rover. Lance had said the name was cute, just like her. 

Why was it suddenly so uncomfortably hot in here?

"Zarkon has decided to join the Galra Robotics Club as their new president."

Well, shit.

"They're planning to join the Inter-School National Robotics Tournament. Just like we were."

Well, good to know that one of the most brilliant, charming and intimidating students was electing to join a college where everything was invested into their robotics and the like. Zarkon was someone that from their, lowly, five people club perspective, seemed invincible. 

"Can't we just kick their asses at the next competition?" Lance drawls, confidence dripping from his words, sitting back in his chair, feet propped up. "I mean..."  He gets up, dramatically shoving the chair behind him.

"First up, we have Takashi Shirogane, our unspoken but obvious leader with much experience in unarmed bot fighting and piloting." Lance's lanky arms shoot out to point out at Shiro, who uncomfortably rubs the back of his neck.

"Second, we have dreamboat Hunky Garret, a wonder with engineering and cooking the  _best beef tacos you'll ever find."_

Hunk grins, returning Lance's fist bump as he flits over to Keith.

"Here, we have My Chemical Keith Kogane. I don't know what we use him for, he's pretty useless now that I think about it-"

Keith coughs, shooting Lance a glare.

"Do you mean our robot weapons expert, management and controlling expert?" Hunk asks. Lance shoots him a look.

"Thank you, Hunk. And he is absolutely right." Keith responds, grinning with snark at a ticked-off Lance McClain.

"Over here, a little downwards-"

"Hey!"

"-we have Pidge Gunderson, AKA Katie Holt, AKA multitalented robotics student. Like, how does anyone engineer, control, program, and  _stud_ y all in one! Especially the studying part!" Pidge has to fight the urge to slam her face into the table, messing up her auburn ponytail. Instead, she settles for gently placing her face on the table, hiding the blush that tints her cheeks pink.

Wait, what?!

"And of course, I've saved the best for laaaast!" Lance cheers, dragging out syllables. "Introducing Lance McClain, expert controller and logician for all kinds of robot competitions!" 

And in comes the jazz hands, the dramatic karate kicks, the large grins and smirks free of charge from Lance himself.

"Since when have you even had a little drop of logic?" Keith questions, stood in the corner. He looks unamused, bored, and done with Lance's shit. "Like, you say we should just kick the asses of one the best funded, supported, and famously powerful robotics clubs in the nation? Such logic," Keith scoffs at Lance, who starts screeching back at Keith indignantly.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to put some positivity back into this team, Mr.Negativity," Lance fires back. "At least I'm trying to bring our spirits up into the new plans rather than dragging them down like a certain someone-"

"Stop it, Lance." Pidge scolds, punching him lightly on the arm. 

"But he started it!-"

"Pidge's right, we've got to focus on creating the robot for the next championship." Shiro steps in, shooting both Lance and Keith a look.

"Sorry," they both mumble. Pidge punches him harder.

"Oww! What do you do, karate?" Lance groans.

"Wanna test that theory?!" Lance's eyes shoot downwards, seeing that Pidge's knee was aimed uncomfortably close to his dick, eyes glinting. 

"Okay, now, Pidge, cool it-"

Lance's face flushes red.

"Okay, okay, that's enough banter for now," Shiro tuts, successfully pulling Pidge up and off the floor by her jacket, plopping her down right next to him. 

A moment of silence.

Pidge looks up at Shiro, and in that moment, Shiro knew he was completely and utterly fucked.

"SHIIRRROOOO!"

"Pidge is so light that Shiro can legit just pick her up with one hand-oh my lord!" Hunk actually screams, falling on the floor as they watch Pidge actually  _climb_ on Shiro and hang on his shoulders. And even better, even while hanging, Pidge's toes  _still wouldn't touch the floor._

"Holy shit-"

"Shut up."

"HOLY SHIT!"

"I swear to god, Lance-"

Yeah, they didn't get anything done that day.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1)Shiro, AKA our favourite Space Dad, does try. Alas, it wouldn't work in a club of four hyperactive and distracted (ahem, Lance) teenagers, even senior Keith.
> 
> 2)Lance's pickup lines continue to fail.
> 
> 3)Pidge learns that being a defender can get her in a worse situation.

"I'm gonna drop Physics, I swear to god." Lance yawns lazily as the trio walk out of the science lab, books under arms and sleep weighing down already heavy eyelids. 

"You drop Physics, and Shiro will drop you out of Voltron," Pidge yawns, equally as tired. Pidge honestly was still really pissed that mom still made her go to this stupid boarding high school, that she still had to attend school at all. So what if she'd won a scholarship, just let her drop out and live life the way she wanted to. 

She didn't want to spend years in a classroom, next to kids drooling on their uniforms and doodling dicks on the expensive desks. She didn't want to waste her time trying to squint at a Science textbook and learn stuff that she already, for the most part, knew. The schooling system was shit anyway. Stare at a textbook, get full marks. That was the marker of intelligence to the general school population. 

"Like I'm going to let that keep me from preserving my patience and life," Lance responds. "Sure, I like robotics, but do I  _like like_  robotics? Do I like like robotics as much as I like like Allura?" 

"You don't like like Allura, you have the hots for her because she's pretty and gorgeous," Pidge points out. 

"Did I miss a space travel mission back in time to middle school? Cuz' that's where we seem to be," Hunk says, rolling his eyes. Hunk looks curiously between the two.

"She's soooo much more than that under the surface-!" 

"You haven't even held a conversation with her that didn't involve a shitty pickup line that she immediately rebuffs," Pidge points out. "Plus, she's probably got the hots for Shiro like every other person around him-"

"What, you like Shiro now?" Lance grins right up in Pidge's face. She flushes red, and a little alarm in Lance's head is set off.

"Oh wow, you actually do!"

Pidge makes a face of disgust, miming vomiting.

The corridor suddenly fills with people, the rest of the classes released. The bell rings, students running to the classrooms to reach there on time. The trio gave up on being on time a long time ago. 

"Nah, no muscly seniors for me, please." Pidge salutes Lance and Hunk as casually as she could, the embarrassment from earlier completely gone, heading off to Computer Science while a bemused Lance waves goodbye.

~~~

"No muscly seniors? Doesn't every girl like muscly seniors?" Lance says to Hunk as he squints into the microscope, one handing holding and the other scribbling. Hunk shrugs passively, eyes flitting around to make sure Iverson wasn't coming in for surprise inspections. God, Iverson was probably the worst thing about Altea, especially to their year (probably because of Lance, but he'd never admit it).

"It's Pidge," is all that Hunk answers, cutting up plant segments. "Need I say anything more?"

"Yeah, sure..." Lance answers. So if the typical buff guy wasn't her type, what was? The opposite of buff, sweet as honey and good with the ladies? What the hell?

Lance shakes his head, snapping himself out of it. He focuses on the aloe sample in front of him, the structures fascinating him. It reminded him a little bit of the shape of coral or the scales of fish. It reminded of him of the sea, what he'd find on the sandy beach, and that was where he wanted to be rather than this stuffy lab. That being said, Biology was one of the better classes. 

"Why do you keep bringing up Pidge's statement like every," Hunk pauses, checking his watch for the time, "every five minutes on average?"

"Only you-and maybe Pidge-would actually count averages on sayings," Lance groans. He doodles the pattern of the aloe with his pencil, turning out a delightful pencil sketch. 

"And you bring up Pidge more than usual nowadays," Hunk points out. He takes the paper from Lance, noting the little scribbles that looked suspiciously like round, framed glasses.

"Yeah, she's my friend. Your point?" Lance snatches the paper back, scowling.

"Well-"

"Mr. McClain and Garret? All good?" Their Bio teacher gives them a glare, ignoring the snickers of the students around them.

"Yes, ma'am." Their voices chorus in unison. She sits back down, focus going back to her novella. 

"Wait, what was I saying again?" Hunk shakes his head, trying to recall from his memory. A little voice in Lance's head says 'phew'.

"What were you saying? Hmm, I don't really know." If it were someone else saying that, maybe Shiro or Keith, Hunk would have believed it. The cheeky grin that was starting to grow on Lance's face immediately alerted Hunk.

"Lies, Lance. Total lies."

The bell rings, and the scratching of wooden stools on floor tiles sounds, a chorus of "Thank you, Miss," and Lance and Hunk speed out of the classroom with everything they have.

Lance spots Pidge in the corridor.

"Hey, Pidgeon!"

"LANCE MCCLAIN, FOR GOD'S SAKE."

"Ohmigod, Pidge, stop swearing-"

"FUC-"

"Pidgeon!"

~~~

Shiro lays out plans, blueprints, drawings that he and Lance spent the weekend drawing. Pidge admires the clean lines, elements of the robot design, all obviously hand-drawn by Lance. So yeah, it was Shiro's ideas and intellect, and Hunk's design ideas, but it was only made visible by Lance.

Since when did Lance actually try hard for Voltron? This blueprint looked like it had a lot of work put in.

"So, this  looks like our first draft idea for what we are going to name Voltron," Shiro starts off, prosthetic fingers absentmindedly tracing the lines of the design in front of him.

Pidge's always admired Shiro for how he was able to bounce back from an accident that mercilessly stole his arm from him and still continue his passion for robotics. Amazing. Lance's voice floats in her head, annoying her about her blush, and she quickly knocks Lance's voice in the balls.

"Yeah, drawn by the amazing Lance right here!" Lance proudly points his finger towards his chest, puffed out. Keith rolls his eyes.

"Mmhmm," Keith mumbles. 

"What's that? The sound of complete jealousy over my art skills?" Lance cups his hand around his ear, leaning towards Keith, arms folded. "Yeah, yeah, I think it is!"

Keith scowls. 

"Continuing on," Shiro shoots Lance a glare, "we need to review what's going on during the competition."

"Ugh, can we do that later?" Lance groans. "Let's just focus on my amazing drawing first, can we?"

"We can get started when Lance decides to shut up," Pidge raises an eyebrow. 

"Eh-uh-hey!" Lance stutters. Then, he reclines, folding his arms like Keith. 

"Okay-" Pidge pushes her glasses up as they had slipping down her nose, eyes glinting slightly. 

"Ermagherd, Pidge's doing the anime glasses thing," Lance says. Pidge jolts her head to pout at Lance, who smiles widely at the sight. 

"So, first we navigate the robot through a series of obstacles, starting on land, going through water-"

Lance smirks, almost opening his big mouth to brag about his amazing skill with manoeuvring robots through water. Pidge slaps her hand on his mouth, going on with verve. 

"-and finishing on land." 

"Okay, go on," Shiro urges.

"The second challenge is autonomous; the robot must be able to help people in need and do what they ask. Basically, this challenge is me downing red bull and programming all night."

Pidge shrugs. No biggie, right? Lance raises an eyebrow. 

"The third is probably the best," Pidge smirks, pushing her glasses up again. 

"PIDGE IS DOING THE-"

"Knockout round bot fighting."

"HELL YEAH!" Lance screams. Keith looks up, significantly more interested than earlier. Shiro tries to hide it, but a big smile starts shyly creeping up on his face. 

"If I'm being honest, that's probably where the Galra will beat us to the ground. They play dirty, but they can never prove it, and that makes it impossible to win." Pidge pauses, totally not for dramatic effect. "Not impossible if we make a robot so freaking awesome that we dominate all three categories and smash Zarkon into the ground!"

Keith high-fives her. 

"Hear hear for Pidgey Gunderson!" Lance whoops loudly, grinning like an idiot. Pidge would climb on him and MMA-style tackle him to the ground (yes, she totally could, despite the height difference), but today something was stopping her. Worse, she wasn't sure what was. 

She stares at him, eyes slowly widening as he smiles and laughs, cheering her name. Something about it makes her smile small, not in the cheeky way she so often does, but something more...soft. 

"Pidge? You alright?" Hunk asks. She blinks, nodding her head in short and quick nods. 

"Ye-yeah, I'm all good."

"So anyway," Shiro glances sideways at Pidge, expression nearly unreadable, "we need to start improving on our current idea."

Pidge peers closer to the blueprint, adjusting her glasses ever so slightly. The table is really small, as is the blueprint ("Dammit, Lance, draw bigger next time."), so Lance leans over Pidge with ease. 

"Do you really have to do that?" Pidge whisper-shouts, turning her head to look at Lance. Much to her surprise, his face is a lot lower and closer to her than she realised, so she quickly whips her gaze back to the (admittedly) intricate drawing.

"Yes, yes I do." 

Lance says it too quietly for Pidge to hear.

It's a lucky thing that Pidge can't see his expression as he leans over her, the commanding voice of Shiro just something in the background.

~~~

_A shadow..._

_A smile._

_They turn, facing_ _Pidge_ _..._

_Why is Lance there?_

_Pidge_ _looks up, her eyes meeting his._

_But-_

Pidge jolts up, breathing heavily, stunned. Startled by the dream, she quickly switches on the lights and slips her glasses back on. There. Clarity. 

"What the hell..."

What were with these dreams?

Pidge, unnerved, looks at the clock. Oh. Only 4 am. She turns on her laptop, scrolling through her contact list on Skype to see who was still up. Talking to someone always helped Pidge after something disturbing.

Hmm...only one person?

A few clicks later, and Pidge finds herself looking at Lance McClain on her screen. Funny, considering he wasn't very far away.

"What's up, Pidgeon?"

"Seriously, Lance, why do you like warping my name like that?" Pidge sighs, mockingly flipping back to show him how completely  _done_ she was with him.

"Fine, I'll stop,  _Katie."_ Lance rolls his eyes, the two breaking out into laughter quickly after.

"Why did you call me so late?"

"Why are you even up so late?" Pidge asks. Lance looks tired too, like he'd also only suddenly woken up. From what she could infer, his nightlight was on, but not the room's light. Hunk seemed to be snoring on the top bunk.

Pidge wondered briefly what it would be like to have a roommate. Hers had secretly moved into another dorm after declaring Pidge to be 'bitchy, too tomboyish and weird." Well, it had worked out both ways. Pidge got double the amount of space and had turned the top bunk into a tech-galore.

Lance yawns, messing up his already tousled and messed up hair.

Damn, Pidge seriously wanted to fix if flat again.

"Combating a question with a question, I see." Lance tilts his head to the side, corner of his mouth twitching up. Pidge grabs a pillow, stuffing her face in it.

"Combating my question with a statement, I see," Pidge replies.

"Yanno, despite you being able to hide yourself as a boy in the Voltron ranks, you've got a really shitty poker face, Pidge."

Pidge scowl, lips perking out in a pout. Lance raises his eyebrows.

"Like you're any better. You've always sucked at Texas Hold 'Em," Pidge retaliates, allowing the pillow to slip down and reveal her grin. Lance makes a sound of frustration.

"That's because I trusted Texan boy Keith to be my teacher. He's messed me up permanently," Lance weakly defends, scowling.

Lance frowns, suddenly stopping.

"Goddamn, you got me there for a moment."

"True."

"Seriously, Katie, what's wrong?"

Pidge pauses, liking hearing the name 'Katie' roll off Lance's tongue. It'd been a while since she'd heard it, after all.

"I just had a strange dream. Just a little messed up. But I just called cuz I wanted someone to talk to," Pidge explains. She prays that Lance doesn't ask about the dream, because yeah, she is a shit liar in front of him.

"Want me to sneak over? I've got peanut butter cookies," Lance holds up a paper bag, taking one out and teasingly biting into it. Pidge eyes the cookie, shutting her eyes tight and shaking her head.

As tempting as that sounded, Pidge had to decline. Having Lance around after that dream would feel strange. Having Lance in her room wasn't out of the norm, it was just...today.

"Do you really think you should be sneaking out again? I hear Iverson's putting more guards on duty nowadays," Pidge questions. Lance rolls his eyes, stuffing another cookie in his mouth.

"If you don't want me to come over, you can just say so," Lance scowls. Now it's Pidge's turn to roll her eyes. Lance looks a little...disappointed, somehow. Probably not, Pidge thinks.

"Nah. It's just that I'm probably going to sleep soon, and I wouldn't want you around while I'm sleeping."

Wow, Pidge's excuse giving skills were skyrocketing through the roof. Lance shrugs.

"Okay then." Lance looks at her suspiciously. "But if you hear a noise a night..."

"Oh my god, Lance!" Pidge laughs, and Lance is dumbstruck for a moment. Laughing at a joke he made? Since when?

It's...kinda cute.

Both Pidge and Lance become so absorbed that they're not sure what time it is when they say goodbye, shut off the computer, turn off the nightlight.

~~~

"Well hello there, Allura," Lance grins, probably trying to give her his best smile. Allura, holding a coffee pot, already begins to grimace. "I seem to have lost my number. Could I have yours?"

Allura smiles, not skipping a beat when she replies. "Sorry, Lance, but my phone's out of service."

Pidge high-fives her, the two grinning wickedly as a dejected and disgruntled. Lance pouts and goes back to sipping his latte.

Something about that sight makes Pidge burn a little inside, a little crease form between her eyebrows. Yeah, it's probably that she doesn't want to see her friend sad. To cheer him up, Pidge employs her best technique; she kicks Lance's leg from under the table, and he spits out his latte, eyes blown wide. He turns to glare at her.

"What was that for?!"

"You've got to stop doing that to Allura. She's had to put up with your pickup lines for how long now? Give the poor gal a break."

Pidge doesn't even want to bother calculating the amount of lunch breaks they've had since semester started, considering that's probably the same amount of times Lance hit on Allura.

God, that was a lot!

Thank goodness she didn't have to put up with flirtatious fools like Lance. Pidge's combination of an unruly and messy ponytail, baggy tomboyish clothes and sharp tongue successfully wards away fools and idiots.

"Geez, okay," Lance puts his hands up in self distance, small smirk on his face. "What, would you prefer I flirt with you?"

Pidge flares red, burning her cheeks. She jolts her head to the side, not wanting to let Lance have the satisfaction of her embarrassment.

"Did it hurt?"

Pidge groans, not answering. She looks up, arms folded, to see an expectant looking Lance.

"Did what hurt?"

Can't hurt to go along with it.

Lance smiles triumphantly.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? 'Cause you're an angel to me."

Pidge reddens, even more strongly than before, but she returns his confident face, replying, "Yeah, it hurt, because I turned into a fucking demon. That happens when you flat from heaven, Lance!"

Lance blinks, taken aback.

Pidge smiles, pushing up her glasses, fallen in her many attempts to hide her face.

"Pidgeon is an anime character, Pidgeon is an anime character-"

"My boobs aren't big enough to be a part of the anime  _you_ watch," Pidge answers, nonchalantly sipping her coffee right after. Lance sputters, flaring red in the face. That boy should really stop choking, Pidge thinks.

"I-uh-n-"

"Mmhmm," Pidge gives him her best deadpan.

"Well, Pidgeon, I guess I'll just have to see how long it'll be before you crack under my charms," Lance flashes her a smile of blinding teeth, inching closer to her. Pidge matches him, moving in, nose centimeters apart and lips curled in a devious smirk.

"You're on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed another chapter! Subscribe, because there's gonna be a lot more chapters after this one :-)
> 
> PS: SERIOUSLY HELP ME DECIDE IS IT PIDGANCE, PLANCE, LIDGE, ETC.???


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1)Mario Kart is a bitch, a certain someone reveling in the godlike powers of the blue shell,
> 
> 2)Pokemon quickly becomes a good pickup line for the inventive Lance, and
> 
> 3)Late night walks near lonely corners become a lot more than they were before for Lance McClain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I just wanted to let anyone reading this know that this story is up on Wattpad with the same update schedule (same name and username). 
> 
> I know the chapters are pretty short now, but I have a feeling they're about to get a lot longer. :-)

Pidge stares at the copy of the robot design Shiro had made for her, the paper spread out on her dorm room floor.  It was aggravatingly simplistic, very much Shiro's style; get in, do the job, no more needed. But Pidge wasn't like that. Yes, she wanted the job done, but couldn't they make it a little more...fun? Pidge prefers to use creativity and imagination to accomplish her goals, and that was making her increasingly frustrated with the design. She couldn't even start programming because they weren't very solid on the materials for the robot, meaning programming would have to be put on hold. The closest she'd gotten was writing basic pseudocode that she'd later transfer into whatever language.

Argh. 

She didn't want to spend her Saturday like that.

Pidge dials a number and puts the phone to her ear.

"Hunk, call Lance and Keith, we're having a frigging Mario Kart marathon."

~~~

Of course Pidge had a Wii in her room, lucky bastard, Lance thinks. That nerd had maybe a hundred cables running from random places in her room, even over the bunks. Technology littered the top bunk.

Imagine not having a roommate.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Pidge bows, ushering Lance, Hunk and Keith in. Lance closes the door behind him. Keith nods approvingly of the place, but frowns when he looks around.

"No Shiro?" Keith asks, raising an eyebrow. Pidge shrugs.

"He said he was with Allura, so...anyway, Mario Kart is a four person game."

Keith frowns, folding his arms.

"Hey, mullet, stop pining and grab a controller!" Lance says, throwing him one. "Think fast!"

Keith barely needs to move to catch it.

Pidge bends over to fix up the console, unfortunately very close to Lance, who quickly moves away onto Pidge's bottom bunk before anything happens to...him.

Pidge sits on the bed next to Lance, Keith and Hunk occupying to floor in front of the television.

"Who knows, maybe blue-shelling each other might give us ideas for improving the robot," Hunk wonders aloud as he picks Bowser. Keith chooses Toad, much to Lance's amusement. ("What? He's good!")

Lance browses the rather limited menu, watching as Pidge did the same.

"Mario's my man!" Lance declares, holding up his controller, right at the same time as Pidge picks Princess Peach.

Hunk and Keith shoot each other a look, small smirk growing on their faces.

"What?" Pidge asks as the game loads.

"Nothing."

The screen blinks, and it's the night ghost maze.

"...oh shit."

Needless to say, Peach on her mech bike wins that round (with Mario in close second, much to his chagrin)

It takes five individual rounds and seven team rounds ("Oh, Keith and I just really like the colour Red, you and Lance can be Blue," said Hunk, for no reason.) for the group to somewhat tire out.

Lance tries to stand up and start his dramatic 'last race' speech, which was pretty much customary, banging his head on the top bunk.

"Ouch! Pidge, why are you so short that your bunk bed is too?" Lance complains, rubbing the top of his head.

"Hey!"

"Anyway," Lance proceeds to stand up, knocking Keith off his beanbag.

"Hey!"

"We are quickly approaching the final race, the race that will decide which team is the true victor of Mario Kart." After all, he and Pidge had taken three rounds and so did Keith and Hunk. Worse, their points for this last round were so closely tied that it was either team's game. "Godspeed, my friends."

Pidge beams at him, squeezing his hand tightly. Lance blinks, surprised, the room suddenly feeling a lot warmer than it had before.

"It's pretty obvious who's going to win," Lance drawls, grinning. Keith rolls his eyes.

"What, do you have Lady Luck on your side or something?"

Hunk grins.

"Yeah, I do," Lance says. He gestures towards Pidge.

The game loads, giving them...

"This looks like a new route! Space mall?" Pidge leans in closer, adjusting her glasses. Before Lance can run his mouth again, she slaps her hand over his mouth. "Oh, it's like a fusion race. Crap, it's got the cows."

_3...2...1!_

Pidge sets off in number one, Hunk second, Lance third, and (surprisingly) Keith fourth. Lance speeds through, Mario's cart serving him well, Pidge best on the motorbike.

"Is this just me, or does this look a lot like Coconut Mall?" Hunk screams, barely scraping by one of the sharp turns. 

Lance zips past on an escalator, getting one of the mystery boxes. Perfect: a red shell.

He blasts Keith, who's right behind him, sending him sprawling back.

"YOU MOTHER-" Keith screams. 

"Ayy, no language, mullet." Lance scolds, smirking at Keith as he watches him fall to seventh, eight, ninth place. Pidge high fives him, expertly steering with one hand, keeping her lead.

Lance stares at her for a little too long, mouth parted just so. She looks so fierce, confident, as she blows past cows named Kaltenecker or something and jumps above space pirates wandering the mall.

And that's precisely when he bumps into Kaltenecker, losing his placing and dropping below even  _Keith_. The disgrace!

Lance, furious, grabs the next box and to his delight, it's a bullet! Lance speeds through the mall and ends up right behind Pidge, who's second after Keith, who magically and impossibly managed to get himself in first place. In front of him, he hears a loud, agonised howl and realises that Pidge green-shelled Hunk.

"Hehehe."

Hunk drops down, Bowser actually a managing to hit a few characters behind him as he speeds backwards.

Pidge and Lance speed on, both neck-to-neck and desperate to get in front of Keith. Luckily, Pidge manages to, Lance coming a close second. It's okay if he's second, Lance thinks, but only when Pidge is in front. Only her.

Wait...

What the fuck?

"WHO THE FUCK BLUE SHELLED ME?!" Pidge screams, jolting so fast that her glasses fall off her face and onto Keith's head. Suddenly, all because of a small blue shell, chaos breaks out:

1)Pidge's eyesight fails her, so she loses her first placing to the blue shell,

2)Lance is knocked back by Pidge, who steamrolls backwards right into him,

3)When Pidge's glasses fall on Keith, he gets distracted and is knocked by Lance,

4)Hunk speeds and comes first.

"What the hell Hunk?! I thought we were friends!" Pidge cries out, wailing. The screen cuts to the Red team winning the trophy by three points,  _three points_  that Lance and Pidge could have made up if not for the fucking blue shell, Lance groans. 

"Sorry, Pidge, but friendships mean nothing in love, war and Mario Kart," Hunk and Keith say, fist bumping and doing some really weird and convoluted handshake. Lance flops down on Pidge's bed, Pidge letting out a frustrated, guttural scream, flopping down on the bed. Well...more like she actually lands on Lance. 

Lance feels strangely comfortable, even with her weight placed on him. But they fit together surprisingly well, and Pidge doesn't seem to realise it. 

Keith, smirking, captures a quick picture before Pidge can get up.

"Kogane, I'm going to kill you," Pidge threatens, sitting up from over Lance. Keith snaps another picture, Keith and Hunk snickering. Pidge vaults herself off the bed and on Keith, successfully snatching the phone and her glasses back in one swoop. She takes her spoils back to Lance on her bed, surprised at Keith's apathetic reaction.  

Lance looks at the first picture. Pidge is sprawled on him, her ponytail tickling his face, both their eyes closed and faces made of pure agony. If not for the faces, it would have looked a lot like a couple photo, Lance can't help but think. He flushes, pushing the thought out of his head. Pidge looks just as red, probably the lighting under the bunk. She swipes, looking at the second picture. It looks even more suggestive, actually, with Pidge on top of Lance, sitting up, both their hair messed up and clothes askew.

Holy  _shit_. 

Pidge deletes both photos, tossing the phone back to Keith.

"What'd you do?" asks Keith. Pidge and Lance grin triumphantly. 

"Deleted it."

"Oh, that's a pity," Hunk tries to look sad, but Hunk being Hunk, it never works. He breaks into his usual, precious smile adored by all, laughing and holding up his phone. 

Lance spies the Voltron group chat (conveniently, it had Allura and Coran added too, and Pidge's equally nerdy brother Matt as he was Shiro's friend while he had attended Altea). And the most recent message was two pictures...from Keith Kogane. 

"Keith Kogane, you son of a-"

" _No language, Lance._ " Keith smirks, the aggravating grin aggravating Lance and Pidge both. 

Goddamn it. 

~~~

"Who knew that Mario Kart could get so cuddly?" Shiro tries to hide his smile as they relax in the cafe, Allura sitting down with them on their break. 

"What did I tell you, Pidge?" Allura laughs, voice accented and tinkling. Lance's expression is unreadable to Pidge, some degree between amused, disgruntled, and embarrassed. Pidge frowns. Of course Lance would feel like that being seen with her. He probably wouldn't be like that with Allura. Pidge doesn't answer, preferring to make a noise of disgust and slam her face down on the table, nearly jostling her coffee. Allura laughs. 

"Those two worked so very well together," Hunk jokes. "So...well..."

Pidge knew perfectly well that the shipping nonsense would clear up in a couple days. It kept on changing. One week, it was Hunk and Shay who were the focus, the week after Lance and Keith, the week after Keith and Shiro, the week after that Shiro and Allura...yeah, the ships never stopped; they were endless. Guess it was her turn.

"I'm gonna fuckin' blue shell you, Hunk..." Pidge mumbles, still face-down. Hunk raises an eyebrow, cupping an ear teasingly. 

"Sorry, I couldn't hear that."

Pidge looks up, directing her evil eye straight to a grinning Hunk. 

"I'm gonna fuckin'-oh god, I can't say that to Hunk..." Pidge groans. "But hey, at least I have an idea now from Mario Kart. 

"Hmm?" Shiro looks up, interested. 

"I'm gonna make a blue shell function. And oh god, I'm going to make sure it makes the victim as pissed and annoyed as I was," Pidge states, eyes glinting with pure malice. Lance laughs, high-fiving Pidge. 

"That's actually...a really good idea. You can do that?" 

"Well," Pidge starts, taking a deep breath in preparation of her long spiel to come. "It would take a while for the function to recharge, but if I use something to jam the programming or the robot's functions, it would effectively be stopped temporarily by the blue shell's powers. How I would do this? Well, there are a few ways, but I could use a robot's micro-waves and nano-"

Allura, Shiro, Keith, Hunk and Lance stare at her. Pidge pouts, mockingly turning her chair away, ponytail whacking Keith in the face.

"Ow."

"Don't worry Pidge, we appreciate you." Allura says, hugging Pidge from behind. Pidge laughs. 

"Especially Lance," Shiro adds, wiggling his eyebrows at Lance, who reddens. Embarrassment again, Pidge thinks. Everyone else at the table hums their approval.

"Good to know."

~~~

Pidge walks back with Hunk, Lance gone off to what he called a 'hot lady corner' because apparently of them flocked to that part of the street. Wherever that was, Pidge didn't know and didn't care.  The evening sun begins to change to night, streaks of gentle purple and black painting the sky.

"You good?" Hunk asks. Pidge nods.

"Yeah."

"You're not normally this quiet. What, no new invention or bot to discuss this time?" Hunk asks. Yeah, because now her energies were focused on trying to develop Voltron...

"I'm thinking of a new idea for Voltron. I'm not really into Shiro's idea, it feels like every other robot there is," Pidge sighs. "Like, I dunno if it's because he's two years older, but it feels so  _traditional,_ " Pidge enthused.

Hunk pauses for a while, thinking. Pidge savours the joined rhythm of their footsteps, Pidge's being twice as fast but twice as small.

"You could probably get Lance to draw something up for you," Hunk answers. "I'm sure he'd be happy to do that."

Pidge whips around to squint at Hunk and see whether that was supposed to be a tease or not. After a lengthy stare, Pidge came back inconclusive.

"I'm sure he would. But I don't know about what I'm going to do yet. I feel like I've  _seen_ a better idea somewhere!" Pidge roughly kicks a stone on the sidewalk, sending it scattering across and to the grass. "I don't know where, when, how, why, ugh..."

"I'm sure you'll get there. You know, maybe you should check the workshop," Hunk suggests. Pidge skips around, a lot more hyperactive than she expected herself to be. Unusually, she wants to kick all the stones, jump everywhere, speed down the path back home. Maybe she just had a work kink she needed to straighten out. 

Suddenly, a pair of hands steal her glasses and cover her eyes from behind her back. The hands are too delicate and small to be Hunk's...

"Guess who?" a voice drawls, and Pidge immediately knows who it is. 

"Hey, Lance," Pidge rips off the hands, whirling around to meet Lance. "Now where exactly did you magically appear from, and where did Hunk go?"

"The corner over there." Lance points. It's dimly lit, rather hidden away if one didn't search hard for it. "And Hunk ran to the teriyaki place that's having a buy one free one, which is actually a pretty good deal. " Pidge rolls her eyes, unable to stop the amused grin that starts to grow on her face. 

"What, no hot ladies for you to pick up today?" Pidge jokes. Lance scowls, glancing over to the corner again.

"No, I had to run away because they were too much all over me," Lance preens for a moment, puffing his chest out, before Pidge literally knocks him back to reality. 

"What really happened?"

"Well...they got sick of what they called 'an immature teenage boy looking for something to stick his dick in'," Lance says, after a long moment of hesitation. Pidge purses her lips, the little space between her eyebrows closing in. 

"That's all they reduced you to?" Pidge says. Lance turns, looking at her. 

"Huh?" 

"Well," Pidge starts, looking increasingly nervous and uncomfortable for what was to come next, "you're a lot more than some guy looking for love."

Is it Pidge's imagination, or is Lance's face getting redder and redder by the second? It looks like the sunset casts the reddish, orangish glow on his tan skin, giving him the blushing appearance. The darkening lighting makes it hard for Pidge to really tell.

"You know, if those girls see you like that, you really shouldn't be hanging around there, even if they are best-looking ones around," Pidge immediately looks away, the opposite side from Lance, folding her arms in defiantly. Lance blinks, surprised. For a moment, he smiles with something he hasn't really before. Then, right after, Lance reverts back to his usual cheeky self. 

"Hey, Pidge, are you jealous?" He leans over towards her, face closer to Pidge than she was used to.

"As if," she scoffs, jokingly flicking him on the nose. "Like I'd want to be flirted with." 

"You totally would." Lance kicks a stone on the sidewalk.  "Charzards are red, Squitals are blue, if you were a Pokemon i would choose you~"

Pidge groans, almost doubling over on the pavement in laughter. Lance stops walking, watching Pidge with wide eyes, who didn't have her glasses on, and he suddenly saw someone else.

Katie...

"C'mon Lance, we're almost back!" Pidge grins at him, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him along with her. "Oh, also, can I have my glasses back?"

Lance, still stunned, nods without speaking, running off with Pidge into Altea's entrance. 

~~~

"Hunk?"

"Yeah, Lance?" 

"I think I've got a problem."

"What?"

"Well..."

~~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1)Pidge finally talks to her mother about that 'boyfriend' of hers
> 
> 2)A camera turns out to be a lot more troublesome than a camera should be
> 
> 3)Pidge does something very unexpected to Lance McClain
> 
> "Wait, what the fuck? Is that a pic of my dick?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I still haven't watched Season 3. RIP my spoiler blessed eyes.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I am in no way technologically experienced (I've only done a few robotics and programming courses), so in this fic please do not think I am trying to emulate real life with my unrealistic descriptions of multiple technologies. It's a fanfic.

"Mom, what did you call me about? Sorry I missed the call," Pidge apologises, swinging her legs as she sits on one of the benches outside the school, admiring the twinkling stars and breeze of the night. She can hear the huffs of her mother, who always has something to nitpick about her.

She supposed that it all started the day she'd sat with her father in the tech room on the brink of her fifth birthday, her brother eagerly carrying small pieces of machinery to and fro for him, the day that she had glimpsed a robot and fallen in love.

From that day on, Pidge still wore the dresses and skirts, yes, because she was perfectly happy with being into robotics and retaining her (short-lived) femininity.

But her traditional mother, who believed in her majorly doing traditionally feminine things, had tried everything to get her back into her world. The world where Pidge would sit down with her on the pillow-filled patio, do some cross-stitching while watching the newest episode of some suburban soap opera, sipping on their tea.

Pidge ended up spending more time with her father and brother in his workshop, learning the ins and outs of all sorts of technologies and building her own mini-robots (Matt and her dad had almost cried when they saw baby Rover, a little droid that said 'Hello' and 'Good night' that she built when she was 6, but had also died the same day), so needless to say, Mama Holt had been a bit ostracised in the family.

"Your grandmother and the family are coming back this Sunday for the gathering, and she's expecting everyone to have a plus one. Are you bringing that boyfriend of yours? And which one?"

Pidge heats up, sweat rolling down her forehead as she gets angry, yet again. Mother of course still thought she was dating one of her...surprise, just-best friends! Good one, mother, Pidge thinks. The tone when she said 'which one', Pidge realises, was undeniably mocking and rude.

This was what happened when you don't bode well with your chosen companion for life, she thinks bitterly.

"I told you mom, I don't have a boyfriend-"

"There's no way that out of four nice-looking-well, maybe not that tall lanky one with the blue eyes-there's no way that you don't like at least one of them!" she chirps.

At least?!

What the actual-

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...okay.

Of course she singles out Lance.

"Mom, like I have endlessly told you, I do not have a boyfriend-"

Pidge stops, hearing the breathing and knowing she was in deep, deep shit.

"Katie Holt, you are bringing back someone to that gathering."

"Why?" Pidge definitely isn't ready for what's about to come next.

"I-I told all your relatives that you were dating someone, because that's the truth-"

"Jesus, mom-"

"-and you can't embarrass yourself. You know my family."

Pidge can almost see her mother's face, nervous, pinched up, hand mussing through her hair. 

If there's one thing Pidge hates more than her mother's antics, its the family politics.

Pidge sighs.

"What time do I need to be there, and dress code?"

"A dress, Pidge. And it better not have swear words on it like it did the last time," she warns. Pidge snickers quietly, remembering the large SHIT imprinted on her chest and the scandalised looks from possibly every single member of her family other than Matt, who had insisted on multiple memey pictures to commemorate his sister's (at the time) best rebellion to date.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant, mom." Pidge takes a deep breath, knowing she may greatly regret her following words, but she goes along with it anyway.

"What's the dress code for my date?"

~~~

The rest pf Sunday night is reasonably toned down, Lance having disappeared very quickly after they returned to Altea.

Pidge sits on one of the many tables covering the quite large hall, Shiro and Keith sitting opposite her.

"Where's Lance and Hunk?" Shiro asks. She twirls some pasta on her fork, stuffing it in her mouth, looking up at Shiro with wide eyes.

"ow m I spoosed tuh no?" she struggles. Keith laughs, taking a picture of Pidge and sending it to the group chat. Pidge quickly swallows, diving for the phone.

"Keith!" she laughs, hands grabbing for the phone. She tussels with him on the bench, Keith rather amused. Shiro proceeds to snap another picture, sending it to the group chat captioned "new ship anyone?"

Keith rolls his eyes, carrying Pidge up and over him.

It's that very moment that Hunk decides to walk in with Lance at his side, Lance fiddling with his phone.

Pidge sits up, quickly fixing her hair (although, as Shiro had consistently said, her hair was unfixable, it always stuck up).

"New ship anyone?! What?!" Lance waves his phone in Keith's face. "Uh, uh, no way!"

Shiro smirks snidely at Hunk, who returns the expression.

Soon, they receive their food, Lance having fish and chips and Hunk the same pasta as Pidge. As usual, there were a grand total of two items on the menu, both of which were usually either similar or sad to look at. Not that Pidge was complaining. However, someone else was definitely complaining.

"The garnish on this is non-existent," Hunk declares, examining the pasta with hawk-like eyes. "As for the texture, it is way overcooked! It has the structure of jello, I tell you!"

Pidge bursts out laughing.

"How about you hop aboard the culinary train instead of roughing it out with us over here?" Pidge asks, Shiro and Keith nodding in silent agreement. Hunk continues staring at the pasta.

"I don't know. Maybe I could combine the two?"

"So, Lance," Pidge starts, leaning towards Lance in mock interest. "Are you going back to the corner to try and pick up girls again?"

Shiro spits out his fish for real, smacking Hunk's fork.

"Shirogane-!"

"Sorry-"

"Well, the girls were obviously all over me," Lance puffs out his chest, stabbing his finger in his chest. "Who could resist this piece right here?"

Keith rolls his eyes.

Hunk shoots the cracking-up Pidge a sideways glance.

"Pidge, Hunk told me you have some...alternative ideas for the robot?" Shiro quickly changes the subject after Keith kicks him from under the table.

"Yeah, but I'm not telling you guys until I can have a concrete plan of what exactly I want to do," Pidge answers. She polishes off the pasta, a portion as small as she was, Pidge thinks. All of a sudden, Shiro slams his head on the table in a very not-Shiro manner and in a very Pidge manner, little hair floof puffing up. Hunk actually jumps up, knocking his pasta onto Lance.

"What is with knocking food today?!" Lance groans, backing away from his seat, looking very annoyed.

"I just realised that we're going to have a really good time trying to get funding for this year," Shiro groans. "With our current plans, when I think about the cost of competition, the transport, the  _robot_ , we're screwed. I mean, sure, we can cover some, but it's not like our parents really gave us permission to join a robotics club..."

Pidge doesn't want to say anything. She's not sure how much she can cover; her father wasn't exactly rolling in the dough after splurging on self-warranted research on alien life with no results thus far. She and Matt could only survive so long on scholarships...

"Well, isn't it simple?" Lance stands up and far, far away from his defiled fish and chips, suddenly returning to his normal self.

"What, genius?" Pidge asks. He smirks, putting on the 'I have a brilliant idea' face.

"We have to hold a fundraiser."

~~~

Shiro, being the little shit that he was, paired Lance and Pidge together for the fundraising mission.

And they had no idea what they were going to do.

So after dinner, Lance had suggested brainstorming in Pidge's room using her multitude of tech (and Pidge's brain itself)

Lance sat cross-legged on Pidge's top bunk, poking around in her vast collection of technology.

"What does this one do?" Lance picks it up, almost pressing a button. Pidge whirls around, dropping the cables she had been cutting, to snatch the device out of Lance's hand.

"I'm-I'm not telling you."

Lance rolls his eyes, barely even having to struggle to reach over and pluck it out of her hand. She screams, lunging towards him.

Lance randomly aims it, pressing the button. It clicks with a bright flash, humming quietly. Then, Lance turns the device around, seeing a little screen with the words 'image developing...'

"Lance, give me the camera-"

"It's a camera?!"

"Give me my camera!" Pidge yells. Lance pouts, turning over the device in his hand.

"Wait, what the fuck? Is that a pic of my dick?!" Lance screams, nearly tossing the camera off the bed.

"What the hell Lance?!" Pidge exclaims, now shying away from the camera. "Of all places to accidentally aim, you aim there?!"

"How was I meant to know your camera was some kind of freakish x-ray invention?!"

"Maybe next time you should ask people before you take their things without permission!"

Lance snatches it up, frantically searching for a delete button. To his horror, there didn't seem to be one.

"Oh my god, Pidge, why doesn't this have a delete button?!"

"It's a freaking prototype, it's in the prototype corner! I'm trying to make it x-ray, I guess it didn't take off enough layers!" Pidge exclaims. Lance groans, dancing around.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Pidge carefully takes the camera, eyes everywhere but the screen, presumably taking in Lance's reddening face. She stretches her arms out, hands working from memory without the much-needed assistance of her eyes.

She presses, fiddles here and there, fingers eventually resting on a small niche in the internal memory. Pidge presses it.

"Oh, a hard reset. But what if that messes up the memory?" Lance asks, scooting closer. Pidge ignores the breach of her personal space as Lance leans over her shoulder, pointy chin almost brushing her.

"It's worth not having to see your dick pics," Pidge deadpans.

"Hey!" Lance protests. "I'll have you know that my dick-

"I don't need to hear it, Lance!" Pidge shoves her hands in his face.

"Hear what?"

"I don't need to hear anything coming out of your mouth right now," Pidge answers, climbing down to the bottom bunk, ditching the camera on the top. Lance climbs down after her, hanging on the ladder.

"Are you a camera?"

Pidge instinctively groans.

"Because every time I look at you, I smile."

Lance is hit with the realisation that the line is not that far from the truth. Pidge makes a noise, and then another, growing into a taunting snicker.

"Where do you get all these lines from?" she questions amicably, lying down on the bed, patting the place next to her. It's a reasonably large bed, but not  _that_  big, so Lance is (pleasantly?) surprised. He lays down beside her, noticing how Pidge bends her arms and uses her hands to cushion her head.

"It comes out of my inventive mind, sweetheart," Lance can't help but say. It's lies, actually. Pidge turns to the other side, not looking at him.

"If your mind is so inventive, quickly come up with a fundraising idea and make it work so that we can pacify Space Dad," Pidge quips. Lance makes a sound of annoyance, pulling Pidge over to face him. She stares at him, face unreadable.

"Very funny, Pidge," Lance fake laughs.

Lance glances at a photo on Pidge's nightstand right next to him that for some reason, he'd never noticed before.

It depicted a boy, who looked like Pidge when she was in 'guy disguise' except he was dressed in a proper suit, his arm around a pretty, sweet-looking girl, hair down and curled, wearing a form-fitting purple dress with the skirt billowing out from the hips.

"Who's the girl, Pidge?" Lance asks, moving a bit closer to the picture to get a better look.

"Why?" Pidge looks at him suspiciously.

"Well, since you seem to be in the picture with that girl, maybe you could hook us up, yanno?"

Pidge flares red, face growing wild. She bends her head down, gaze not meeting Lance as she shakes her head furiously.

"Hey, why not? Unless you've been-"

"That's me, you moron!" Pidge yells, hitting Lance with a pillow. Lance grabs the photo, squinting at it, and yep, upon closer inspection, that was definitely Katie Holt.

...holy shit.

Lance only has his arms to defend from a pillow assault, so he grabs her bolster and uses it to block her next hit.

Soon, it escalates into a full-on pillow fight, Pidge whacking Lance and Lance using his height to force her down the bed. Suddenly, Pidge collapses, causing Lance to almost fall on top of her, until she manoeuvres herself to the other side.

Breathing hard, panting, exhausted from that intense but short-lived war, they end up just lying down, looking each other for a long time, faces flushed from exertion and embarrassment, eyes locking for longer than would normally be acceptable. Blue meets brown, and for some reason...neither can look away.

Considering the late hour, the tire, they really shouldn't have laid down on one bed. Stupid Pidge (stupid for once, actually).

They never realise that they fall asleep, limbs entwined and hands held together, right on Pidge's bed.

~~~

Shiro, Keith and Hunk together sit at breakfast, the morning crowd of mostly-dead and zombie like students filtering in for the drowsy Monday morning. The three try to eat the oatmeal without falling asleep, but unfortunately student life doesn't work like that, Keith thinks.

"Hey, do you know where Pidge is? She was supposed to give me the original plans last night, but she didn't turn up," Shiro explains. Hunk raises his eyebrows.

"You know, Lance didn't come back to the dorm last night," Hunk points out. "And didn't Lance suggest going to Pidge's room last night?"

After a long moment of silence and sudden realisation, the three start sniggering, Keith already taking out his phone.

After a little while spent sneaking out under Iverson's nose, the three quietly but quickly make their way over to the first year dorm rooms.

"Man, it's been a while since I've walked down here," Shiro says off-handedly. Keith can see the nostalgia on his face, and he himself can barely remember first year. It was a blur, Keith thinks, mostly because there was no Shiro at the time.

Hunk points to Pidge and Lance's door, the smile on their faces growing big when they hear two differing quiet snores. On the way, the three doled out the following tasks:

1)Hunk was to open the door and wake up the two,

2)Keith was to be the photographer and uploader, and

3)Shiro was to be the videographer and meme editor for later.

Keith hopes that the door is unlocked, and funnily enough, it actually is. Hunk quietly opens it, beckoning Keith and Shiro to come in first.

What the hell?

The two were lay down on Pidge's bed, small to Keith's eyes, Pidge's legs overlapping Lance's. Their foreheads gently touched, Lance's arm brushing Pidge's waist.

Keith suddenly felt very uncomfortable, as if he'd intruded on something. He still takes the photos, though, immediately wiring them over to both Shiro and Hunk for safekeeping. They looked so much like a couple that Keith wasn't sure whether he wanted to fangirl or vomit from the sickly-sweetness of it all. 

"Morning, lovebirds~" Hunk sings, Shiro leaning down to get a good video. Pidge is the first to wake up, drowsily rubbing her eyes as she sits up, hand pressing on Lance's leg.

"Hu-Hunk?"

She looks down.

"WHAT THE FU-HOLY SHIT, LANCE WAKE UP!" she starts whacking him with her pillow, shaking his leg. "LANCE!"

"Ugh, what's the big deal Pidge-wait PIDGE?!" Lance jolts up, jumping out of the bed. Hunk starts laughing, Shiro clapping one hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. Keith is hard at work, snapping pictures and close-ups for the sake of Shiro's meming.

"GARRET!!" Lance screams, flinging a pillow at Hunk. Pidge throws her bolster, expertly managing to thwack Shiro and Keith's phones in one clean sweep, knocking them out of their hands. She lunges, grabbing them cleanly, but Shiro picks her up and holds her up in front of him, making her drop the phones.

"Put Pidge down!" Lance gasps out, currently being trussed around playfully and easily by Hunk. Keith, amused, keeps quiet and records everything

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Iverson booms, standing in the doorway.

"Oh, shit."

~~~

"Ms. Katie Holt, can you explain why there were four, FOUR boys in your room?" Iverson says, leaning intimidating over Pidge, who's now dressed in uniform and seated in her desk.

"I overslept this morning," Pidge explains, her cool tone envied by the rest of the group."My friends, and friends only, tried to find me before lessons started. It just escalated from there because teenagers cannot resist a good pillow fight."

Lance fights to keep his face as stoic as possible, not daring to glance at anyone, because Iverson was notorious for his (stupid) assumptions.

"Takashi Shirogane, can you please explain to me why you were holding Ms.Holt by her  _shirt_?!" Iverson's face looks so disgusted, that the whole team can see what he's thinking.

Something hot and fiery burns in Lance, his face following suit. The simple implication that Shiro and Pidge...something makes him look as angry as Keith currently looks. Hunk looks like he just wants to throw up really bad.

Shiro's mouth drops open, the way that Iverson explains the situation making it sound a lot more risque than it really was. Pidge looks taken aback, surprised that Iverson was saying it like that, but smart enough to know not to open her mouth.

"All due respect, Sir, but Katie and I have this ongoing joke that she's so small I can pick her up-"

"So you do this to Ms.Holt on a regular basis?" Iverson says. Shiro looks even more taken aback than Pidge, for once looking like he didn't have any words.

"It's an inside joke which both of us have and respect-"

"Treatment of a woman in this manner is in no way respect-"

"May I talk for myself?!" Pidge interrupts, standing up and slamming her palms on the table. Lance's head jolts, looking at the person who may the only person alive to have actually loudly interrupted Iverson. Pidge's face is the epitome of irritation, annoyance, and anger.

And suddenly...it looks kinda hot.

...what the fuck?

"All due respect, Sir," the way Pidge says it definitely has no respect whatsoever, Lance realises, face still looking annoyed. "but Shiro and I are friends. This whole 'shirt holding' thing," Pidge makes air commas, stepping closer to a curious and mildly confused Iverson with each comma, "Is nowhere near as sexual as you obviously seem to be making it out to be."

That seems to be the turning point, Iverson's face going all red and puffy, angry. Pidge doesn't back down, hands balled in small fists.

"Dismissed."

"Sorr-"

"DISMISSED!"

Shiro, Keith, Pidge and Hunk bolt out of the room.

Pidge, with all the class she has, calmly and peacefully walks out the door, not wasting her time sparing Iverson a second glance.

He nearly slams the door shut.

Lance tries to approach her.

"Hey, Pid-"

"Hurry up, Lance, if we hurry we can still make the first class, we've got Chem together, remember?"

Funnily enough, its a class that Hunk doesn't take.

"Pid-"

"Come on!"

She grabs his hand, pulling him with her.

Shiro, Keith and Hunk wait behind, looking as stunned as she felt.

After Pidge drags him to a secluded corner that literally no one has visited in who knows how many years, Lance pants, on his knees, looking up at her with a confused face. 

"What are you doing, Pidge?"

Pidge yanks Lance's shirt, pulling him to stand upright. He staggers forward towards her, the height difference suddenly looking a lot more apparent than it did before. 

Pidge tiptoes, face growing closer to Lance's.

"Are you comfortable with this?"

Lance's eyes widen, leaning down instinctively.

"Y-yes."

Pidge moves in even closer.

"This?"

A centimeter apart. Lance's heart starts beating, beating, beating...he nods.

Faster and faster.

Pidge tiptoes further up, her small hands gripping Lance's shoulders and pulling him downwards towards her.

"Still comfortable?"

Lance doesn't know how to respond with anything other than a slight nod.

She's a breath apart from him. A hair. Her lips are so close to his that he can feel every breath, see the bottom lashes framing her eyes.

He leans in.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...hehehehehehehehehehehe


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1)Pidge needs a favour. Really bad. 
> 
> 2)Class times become a hell of a lot more shippy when Pidge and/or Lance walk in,
> 
> 3)Pidge may or may not have had a childhood crush on Hiro Hamada, much to Lance's chagrin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LONNNGGGG CHAPPTTTER  
> (Okay yes 5k words isn't actually that much but c'mon, it's double the rest of the chapters)
> 
> ...Season 3 actually killed me. 
> 
> Enjoy a bunch of teenagers just trying to build a cool robot :-)

Pidge pulls away, releasing her grip on Lance's shoulders, the moment gone.

"I have to ask you for a favour," she whispers, now looking at the ground, pulling on her too- long uniform skirt nervously. Lance raises his eyebrows.

Definitely not what expected what was going to happen. Definitely not what wanted to happen, much to horror and mild surprise.

"Hmm?" Lance takes a step round her, peeking. Now that he noticed properly, everything that she wore was way too baggy, the clothing hanging on her slim frame. Even her uniform. How did she get her mom to allow that?

"I need you to be my boyfriend for the weekend. Just the weekend."

Because Pidge knew he probably couldn't stand it for longer than two days. The fact that he'd withstood her 'test' was miraculous enough. Lance raises his eyebrows, surprised.

"Why me? Why not ask culinary whiz Hunk, well-behaved Keith, or the charming ladies man Shiro?" Lance asks, frowning. Pidge had predicted this reaction, a way of getting himself out of the favour without having to say 'no'. She shrugs, reaching her small hands out to tug on Lance's tie, pulled askew and pulled loose, probably by her.

"I'm asking you." The last ditch attempt may not be fruitful, and perhaps make their still-growing friendship slightly awkward, but maybe, just maybe-

"I'll do it."

Lance sticks his hands in his blazer pockets, looking around shyly as he bounces on the balls of his feet.

Pidge blinks, surprised for that moment that he actually agreed. Who in their right mind would agree to spend a weekend, whole weekend, with a neurotic Pidge?

Apparently Lance.

"...thanks."

Pidge has to quickly turn (and in the process, whack Lance with her ponytail) before Lance can see the smile that grows on her face, slowly and gradually.

~~~

Lance strolls into Bio humming, after managing to sneak into Chem unnoticed, Pidge having flashed him a thumbs up after he successfully did. It wasn't like Mr. Haxus was particularly observant anyway, even if he was brilliant and hilarious in the classroom.

Pidge...

What was up with Pidge?

And worse...

Why was that one moment constantly replaying over and over in his already convoluted mind?!

"Dude!" Hunk slaps him on the back, grinning his usual sunshine smile. It quickly switches to his squinty eyed, interrogative expression. "You gotta tell me everything."

"About what?" Lance sits down, his teacher scribbling down the day's task and sitting down for yet another chapter of the romance novel. This whole routine made Lance love Bio more, as he and Hunk could talk without (usually) anyone giving two shits. You could say Ms. Acxa was pretty cool.

"About how Pidge dragged you off to Chem and you had the 'Oh no, she's hot' look on your face," Hunk points out, and Lance knows that Hunk saw past the surface (as he usually did, something Hunk was very proud of) . Lance has to force himself to focus on the board and try to read the tasks so he doesn't react to Hunk.

"No way I did, Pidge is like my best friend after you," Lance answers, trying to keep as apathetic-sounding as possible.

"Mmhmm. That's definitely all you see her as," Hunk deadpans, his mouth a perfectly straight line as he stares at Lance.

From Hunk's perspective, Lance just looked distracted, eyes...kind of sparkling? He hadn't really seen that look on Lance before, actually. Hunk had watched as Lance had run in circles trying to market himself to women who looked down on him, even if they were the most conventionally attractive, putting on his 'flirt smirk'. But he had never looked like that. Like he was...

In love?

Hunk makes a mental note to check up on Pidge.

There was  _definitely_ something going on.

"Hey, buddy, we've got to start on the analysis," Lance shakes Hunk by the shoulder, pointing at the board.

"Since when did you care about actually doing your work?" Hunk questions, now actually checking what was the day's work. Usually, it would be Hunk berating Lance for goofing off, occasionally joining in with Lance. What a weird day.

Lance bites his lip, frowning just a little bit. Then, he smiles his usual wacky smile, grinning at Hunk.

"No reason."

Hunk's bemused face didn't even convey a fraction of how confused he really was.

~~~

Meanwhile, Pidge spends that class hour in Calculus with Keith and Shiro. Her first year teacher had declared that the Calculus level was too easy and forced her into the advanced level with the seniors, making it extremely awkward for her as a fifteen year old surrounded by people at least a foot taller than her. Sometimes, their elbows would accidentally knock her on the head or her books, and it really wouldn't be their fault.

"Looks like you're done for the day, Pidge," Mr. Thace says, taking her work from her, scanning it with a smile He plops a large, heavy textbook on her desk in return, prompting sniggers from Keith and Shiro. The rest of the class shoots her envious looks; Pidge opens the book and buries her head in it, wanting to avoid the stare.

"Hey, Pidge," Keith whispers, Thace busy helping a senior student. "What's up with you and Lance?"

"What's up with you and Shiro?" Pidge hisses back, shooting Keith a glare. He grins, saying something to Shire, teasingly moving his lips extra

"You dragged Lance off, and he was giving off the 'Oh no she's hot' face," Keith points out, raising one eyebrow. Pidge goes red, jolting her head back.

"Uh no he wasn't," she answers. "It's the 'what the fuck is Pidge doing?' face that he makes like, every day," she mimes, making air commas. Keith rolls his eyes at her, Shiro stifling his, laughs, suddenly exploding into voracious laughter.

"Mr. Shirogane?" Thace turns, sending Shiro his infamous glare with another perfectly arched raised eyebrow. Shiro bows his head in fake repent.

"Sorry, sir."

Thace turns back around, walking to one student.

"Pidge, just for your information, that's also Lance's 'Oh no she's hot' face," Shiro whispers, hand covering his mouth from Thace's gaze in a similar way to how Pidge was using the book.

"Bullshit."

"You've watched him enough times, haven't you?" Keith points out.

Pidge tries to think back to all the times she's seen Lance flirt with girls, from Allura to random girls he didn't even know.

He never made that face. It was a confident one that honestly, wasn't Lance. Her Lance was sweeter, kind, in no way sleazy. He never made that face to all the ladies he tried to woo.

"He hasn't made that face to all those girls."

Keith and Shiro facepalm simultaneously.

"You know what Pidge? For someone so smart they're already in Advanced Calculus, you really are quite dumb," Keith states, pursing his lips. Pidge uses her book to whack his mullet, making him jump out of his seat.

"Mr. Kogane!" Thace whirls around. "Do I need to separate you and Mr. Shirogane?"

Keith shoots Pidge a glare, and she smiles cheekily back at him, teeth all showing. The rest of the class start laughing, someone hollering "SHEITH!" in the back, much to everyone's amusement. 

"No, sir." Shiro shoots glares around the room, causing the room to burst out into a second round of voracious laughter. 

Thace smiles small at Pidge, nodding his head in approval.

Keith and Shiro scowl sourly. 

~~~

"Okay, gang, we've got to finalise the fundraiser ideas so we can actually start building the robot soon, considering we probably just blew our chances of getting funding from Altea," Shiro booms, palms flat on the workshop table. Then he looks around, realising with great sadness that no one was actually listening to him (as usual, Lance later added on, much to Shiro's chagrin). Papers are strewn everywhere, knocked over by Hunk on the way in ("Whoops, sorry guys!"), Pidge ending up cleaning up all the papers after Hunk. 

Pidge, seated on the table itself, previously very disinterested, turns to face Shiro.

"But Shiro, we haven't even finalised the robot," she reminds. Shiro shoots her a look that resembles pity, agitating Pidge. 

Lance, in the corner, makes a sound of annoyance, flicking his hand fast in a series of hand gestures that really, no one can catch. 

"Uh, yes we did, I already drew the plans up!" he exclaims, sounding offended.

"I mean, you guys are really happy with this? You think this can take down the Galra and Zarkon himself?" Pidge questions, gesturing with a wide, sweeping hand to the plain blueprint rolled out on the table before her. They all shrug, looking as apathetic as lifeless forms. Pidge screams, huffing and stamping her feet from irritation. 

"Seriously?!" 

"Pidge, what do you mean?" Shiro asks, arms folded, Dad voice turned on. He fixes her with a look that she can't really understand, prompting her to look confused in return. 

"I mean, surely with our combined outstanding brainpower, we can come up with something better?" she argues, hands opening and closing, feet jumping around here and there. 

Shiro, Lance and Keith huff, somehow all together at pretty much the same time. Hunk's eyes wander off, as if trying to imagine what Pidge was thinking. 

"Like, you see," Pidge starts frantically gesturing and pointing to certain areas, like the functions section, "instead of the typical 'special move' function that pretty much every robot has in cinema and real life, why not add a gun or power up, like, I dunno, Mario Kart?"

She walks around to the other side of the table, pointing again, moving her hands quickly, fingers wiggling in an effort to explain herself. Lance puts a hand on her shoulder, mentally willing her to calm down a little bit. After all, he knew how Pidge could get so worked up that words would not properly come out of her mouth, or at least they would not escape understandable to people of normal intellect. Surprised, biting her lips (that really stirred Lance, surprisingly), Pidge frowns, pausing for a moment. Then, she smiles up at him, practically  _forcing_ Lance to do the same. They don't notice Keith quietly snapping a picture, tucking the phone back into his jacket ("Who the fuck has a cropped jacket, Pidge? Like, its firstly really impractical, and secondly so freaking ugly, like what?!" "Lance, its Keith, what do you expect?")

Shiro coughs, raising one perfectly arched eyebrow. Lance quickly rips his hand off Pidge's shoulder, Pidge quickly turning back to the rest. 

"And, well, I'm like 99% sure most robots would have this as the material, would have this extendable arm here." Her tone is noticeably different, all of a sudden, a lot less confident, loud, but also a lot more controlled and distracted. Soooo distracted. Keith almost wants to laugh out loud with Hunk when they share a look, because its just so  _obvious_. 

Shiro nods, gesturing for Pidge to go on. Lance looks almost worried, seeing how frantic Pidge was. What was going on with Pidge? 

"What I'm saying with all this is that we need to be more inventive. We can do better. We don't need to be like every other robotics team, with a robot made of steel or aluminium, four limbs and a head, controllable." Pidge fingers a little piece of metal, looking at the rivets and scratches. The box that she constantly plunges her hand in is nothing that is workable, but yet it is all Voltron has in terms of material. Just scraps, pieces of failures and mistakes. Definitely not good luck. 

Pidge walks around the table, adjusting her glasses, pushing them closer in, just so to get a better look. She leans in towards the table, using her elbows to prop herself up.

"We can add things that these other clubs tend to not do, because its 'too risky." The air quotes reappear. "Add new things that haven't been done before. Power ups, microbot tech, we can figure it out, together."

Pidge watches with a warm smile as she sees everyone nodding in assent, Hunk applauding enthusiastically. She laughs, taking a mock bow. 

"Thank you for that inspiring anime-like speech, Katie," Lance's voice cuts through, interrupting the feeling. "Are you-" Lance coughs, his words suddenly getting stuck in his throat. Pidge gulps on air, only just realising Lance had used 'Katie'. 

What is this reaction? So sudden, and new. 

"-Are you going to enlist me to be your artist for your new robot design?" Lance asks. Keith sniggers, Shiro whacking him on the back of his head. Pidge nods, innocent to whatever the others seemed to find very humorous.

"Who else?"

Shiro whacks Keith again. 

"Shiro..."

Pidge grins, gathering up materials, blitzing around the workshop with the speed of a bullet. All of a sudden, she returns, just plopping all of it in the middle of the table. 

"Here you go, Lance!" 

He blinks, obviously very surprised by it. 

"You weren't kidding?"

She tilts her head, confused. 

"Why would I be?"

She smirks, hopping on the table. Lance practically predicts it, mouth already open to scream "PIDGE IS DOING THE ANIME THING!" the second her finger touches her glasses. Pidge jumps on his from the table, MMA style wrangling him, until Shiro picks her up and puts her back on the table. Pidge almost starts screaming at Shiro, but chooses to direct her frustration at Lance. 

"LANCE-"

"Pidge, just go on with whatever you were going to say!" Shiro cuts in, poking her and stopping her. 

"Why are you always so Dad friend? Keith's the same age as you and he acts like Lance!" Pidge huffs, pouting on the table with folded arms. 

"Excuse me?" Keith, offended, struts up to Pidge. "I am  _nothing_ like Lance! Nothing!"

"EXCUUUUSE ME?" Lance struts up to Keith with the air of a typical teenage drama queen, stabbing him in the chest with his index finger, the two glaring at each other. "Why do act like being compared to me is an insult? Huh? Being compared to me is obviously one of the best compliments anyone can gi-"

"I hate to burst your bubble, Lance, but that's completel-"

"Keith!" Shiro smacks him again. 

"Why do you keep on hitting me?!" Keith complains, now turning to Shiro. On the table, Pidge groans.

"Why do you keep on instigating everyone?" She sighs. "Is it a thing that you're good at pissing people off?" 

Pidge says it so nonchalantly that Keith almost wants to lunge at her (playfully, of course), but Lance quickly steps in front of her. 

"I don't need you to defend me!" Pidge exclaims. Lance whips around, opening his mouth, Pidge thinking that its to make some snarky remark or throw another stupid pickup line that he didn't put any meaning into, as usual. 

"Just 'cause you don't need me doesn't mean I don't want to defend you anyway," he reasons. A light pink tint colours Pidge's cheeks, stunned at the nature of the comment. Definitely not what she had expected. 

"Uh, sure," she quickly says, before Keith can start up again. 

A long, long moment of silence.

A snicker. 

A cough. 

A little giggle. 

"BAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

The four start laughing, for some really, really strange reason. Pidge doesn't want to admit, but maybe...Voltron's members can replace the hole her family dug in her and never filled in. It all feels so familiar, like she's known them for years, that she can joke about the strangest or most foreign topics with abandon. 

A click of a video camera stopping. 

Slowly, they turn to face Hunk crouched in the corner, holding his video camera, conveniently aimed right at them. 

"Uh...hey guys?"

~~~

Shiro and Keith's room was admittedly really, really nice. In comparison to the junior's small, bunk bed room with barely enough floor space to simply lie down on, this room has separated beds, carpeted floor, plenty of room for junk and a good TV. It was laughable really, that one could see the clear division between Shiro and Keith of the room, judging by the arrangement and type of clutter that littered the room; Keith's room actually looked like the room of some theorist or mad scientist, his board featuring multiple papers, articles and strings connecting them. Pidge high-fived him after spotting the Mothman picture in the center.

 Pidge almost wanted to actually stay on in Altea purely for the room she might, in future, have. Imagine the amount of things she could hide in a room after she weirds out the next roommate and takes over her space!

"Popcorn?" Keith tosses a big bag of salty and clearly unhealthy popcorn towards Hunk, throwing a plastic bowl at Lance. He passes another one to Shiro. 

"Don't mind me if I do!" Hunk grins, neatly opening the monstrous bag and doling them out between Shiro, Lance, and keeping some in the bag for himself. 

Creating Movie Night had been Hunk's idea, actually, to spend one night a week in someone's room, strategically using Shiro's room because Iverson rarely checked up on the so called 'mature and disciplined seniors'. (Pidge commonly theorised that Iverson would have either an aneurysm, stroke, or heart attack if he ever witnessed the true activity amongst the seniors). It would probably become a regular thing along with Gaming Sunday and Laser Tag Tuesday (chaos, pure chaos, a game causing as much betrayal and heartbreak as Mario Kart)

Shiro and Keith sit on Shiro's bed, Keith comfortably sprawling out on it, Shiro keeping his military-like posture and sitting on the edge, Keith's feet tickling his back, waiting for the movie to start. Hunk sits on the floor between the two beds, preferring the floor. 

Pidge lies down on the other bed, comfortably letting her limbs hang loose. Lance lies down next to her in similar fashion, his right arm just brushing Pidge's. The bowl sits in the middle and in front of their arms, Pidge already eagerly chomping down on it. Lance did have her pegged down as a salty, not sweet person ("No, Lance, I'm bitter too. And sour. But you are right, I'm everything but sweet," Pidge had joked.)

Lance glances at her, smirking at the sight of her lion-print green pajamas, long sleeved and with long pants. They were so insufferably  _Pidge_. Or was it so  _endearingly_ Pidge? Either way, Lance couldn't help but find Pajama Pidge...really cute. Like sister cute. Adorable-like-a-puppy cute, obviously. Obviously. 

He pokes her left side, causing her to explode into laughter and roll away from Lance, nearly tipping the popcorn onto Hunk's head in the process. She kicks him back, prompting him to unleash another round of tickles on her midriff, her top riding up ever so slightly. In all the tussle, Lance's hand accidentally slips under her pajama shirt, causing two steaming faces, an immediate stop in the tickle war, and a pissed off Keith. (Also, a picture-snapping Shiro, but as usual the two never noticed it)

"Get your own bed!" Keith complains, throwing popcorn at Lance. Lance puffs out his chest. 

"Haha, too late,already dominating yours," Pidge and Lance answer, making a show of rolling themselves over the bed, Keith jumping off to save it before Lance pulls his shirt off.

"Keith, hush, the movie's starting!" Shiro tugs Keith back by the shirt, almost pulling the whole thing off. Keith grabs Shiro's hand, smacking it off and fixing his shirt. 

The Disney logo appears on-screen, quickly transitioning to the visual of a dark back alley, obviously a place for criminals and vagrants, quietness punctuated by rowdy screaming and cheering, two fighters and their robots in the center. 

"The winner, by total annihilation...Yama!"

More cheers, this time coming from the Voltron squad. 

"We actually need to make our bot fight so freaking well that we can get that kind of comment. 'By total annihilation', how cool would that sound!" Hunk exclaims, tossing more pieces of popcorn in his mouth with verve. 

When Hiro appears on screen, Pidge starts cheering, a light tint appearing on her cheeks. That little bit of colour doesn't go unnoticed by Lance, who peers in closer to really examine Pidge.

The scene shifts to where Tadashi takes Hiro to the college, where Honey Lemon, Fred, Wasabi and Gogo show off their scientific genius. Pidge's eyes sparkle happily, the rate of popcorn going into her mouth increasing exponentially. Lance thinks that maybe, maybe this movie was somewhat of a childhood favourite? The story of a few geniuses bonding together, different from a lot of society.  And her reaction to Hiro...

Lance scowls, sticking his tongue out petulantly at the small messy-haired boy on the screen. 

It's almost all a blur until they reach the development stage. At this point, Keith ends up lying on Shiro's back, Pidge ends up half on Lance, the left side of her body on top of his. He doesn't complain, simply because he doesn't want to. 

Hiro's microbots cause something to click in Pidge. She jumps off Lance (much to his disappointment...wait what?!) and runs to her tablet (why did Pidge pack like she was preparing for a sleepover, no one knows). She immediately starts drawing with her pen and typing down ideas, the tablet present after she climbed back on the bed beside Lance, who was now sitting up with his back pressed against the headboard of the bed, all previous closeness gone. Lance steals glances at the tablet.

"You sure you don't need my help to draw, Pidge?" Lance giggles, trying not to sound like a schoolchild as he points his finger at Pidge's near-incomprehensible sketches. She smacks him on the face, pinching his nose.

"Ow!"

"Hey," Pidge whisper-hisses, after a while of sitting next to him, trying not to let the others hear. "Your arm's kinda annoying me there, maybe you just sling it on my back  or shoulder or something?" 

Lance nearly jumps to the ceiling. 

"O-Okay."

Slowly and tentatively, Lance creeps his hand onto Pidge's back, hand gripping her waist, surreptitiously pulling her closer to him in the process. Their sides press up against each other, Pidge kind of leaning her head on Lance as they continue to watch the film. Pidge was right. It was a lot more comfortable sitting like this without extra limbs and what not in the way. Like this, they were like two pieces of a puzzle slotting together.

...oh.

The film soon goes on to the group traversing Akuma Island, signs of danger, warning, and generally things that would make any sane human being a bit wary appearing here and there. All the danger and the experimental signs of the island give Lance an idea. 

Lance leans close to Pidge's ear, whispering. 

"Commencing explosive containment procedures," he starts. She faces him, her face looking snarky as ever. 

"Is this a pick-up line?" She takes a better look at his face, rolling her eyes eventually. "Oh shit, it is a pickup line."

"Why, you ask? Because you are the bomb." 

Lance shoots her finger guns. Pidge nearly laughs too loud, smacking his hands and gently putting them back in the previous position, now more clearly resting her head on his shoulder for a comfortable way to watch the show. Her ponytail tickled his back gently.

Lance looks down at her, seeing her at quiet peace for once. Odd, seeing as how she was watching a superhero film about robotics, something which usually pumps her up a lot. Maybe robotics was also where she found peace. Calm. 

He liked seeing her like that. 

By the end of the film, Pidge falls asleep on his shoulder. Lance gently takes her off his shoulder, putting her down on the pillow and placing the blanket over her. Hunk is out, sprawled on the floor, so Lance throws the couch's blanket over him, walking over to the door and making sure it's locked; no more Iverson incidents, please.

Shiro and Keith are comfortably cuddled on the other bed, and it almost looks like...spooning? Lance quickly snaps a picture using Pidge's tablet.

Lance sits down on Shiro's desk chair, looking out into the night sky. Stars sprinkle like freckles on skin, lighting up the sky.

Since Altea is located in a more rural area with a rather small, undeveloped town nearby, Lance can easily admire the green nature that covers the land behind Altea. It's gentle and peaceful, really.

But no matter how nice life was here, how nice the school was and how good the education was, Lance misses his family to no end. Lance misses his family, home in Cuba, waiting for his return with a degree and opportunity in his hands.

Maybe...

Maybe Voltron was something that was filling that void, even if it's just a little. He'd never find someone as awesome as Hunk, cool as Shiro. Even Keith was okay. Pidge filled a small hole in his heart.

A small smile grows on his face, spreading like a virus.

"...Lance?" Pidge blearily looks up, still cosy under the blankets. Lance wraps his arms around himself, making a mental reminder to scream at Keith in the morning about how cold it was.

"Sleep, Pidge. You need it."

Pidge sits up.

"You're cold."

"Good observation," he says, careful to keep the sarcasm level a little lower. Pidge raises an eyebrow.

"Come here, you need blanket. You need warmth," Pidge says. Lance frowns.

"When did you care about my wellbeing?"

Pidge flushes, obviously embarassed.

"Well, I do," she answers, voice more defiant than it was previously. "And I'm asking you to use this blanket because its too late to sneak back and sleep in your room." 

Pidge starts bundling up the blanket, interrupted by Lance quickly dashing over and catching her hands.

"Pidge, just sleep please."

"Share the blanket with me, then." Pidge looks down, rubbing the back of her neck. 

"You-you sure?" 

Pidge nods, and Lance slowly slips in the bed, the sudden warmth staggering. Maybe it was the blanket, maybe it was Pidge lying next to him, maybe it was the heat of his own heart; Lance wasn't sure. 

"You sure?" Lance says. Pidge rolls her eyes, smiling. 

"You'd bed-ter believe it," she mumbles, not looking at him. He blinks, pausing for a moment trying to comprehend what she had said. Then, his eyes widen, stupid smile on his face. 

"Did you just...pun? Ohmigod, this needs to be recorded," Lance looks at Pidge, who rolls her eyes again.

"It's just a pun..." she mumbles, unable to hide the hints of a small, proud smirk. 

"It's a start."

Lance taps Pidge on the shoulder, making her shift and turn to face him.

"Goodnight, Pidge."

Pidge closes her eyes, smiling tenderly at Lance. 

The sight makes the little thumps in Lance thump a whole lot louder. 

"Goodnight, Lance."

Lance brushes the hair out of her face, kissing her gently on the forehead after she had falls deep, deep into sleep.

~~~

**VOLTRON** **(+** **Allura** **+** **Coran** **+Matt)**

_Space Dad_ : Hey, Matt!

 _Matt Skywalker_ : Yeppers?

 _Texan Cowboy_ : Only you would say yeppers

 _Matt Skywalker_ : Say what you need to to feel better about yourself, cowboy

 _Pidgeotto_ : hurhurhur

 _Texan Cowboy_ : Hey!

 _Princess_ : You guys stopping by at the cafe later?

 _Aquaman_ : yeah, only to see you, Princess ;-)

 _Princess_ :.............

 _Pidgeotto_ : stop harassing Allura!

 _Matt Skywalker_ : Jealous, sis?

 _Pidgeotto_ : I'm not even going to dignify that with a response!

 _Nicer gordon ramsey_ : She totally is @Matt Skywalker . Look.

_**Picture Attachment from: Nicer gordon ramsey** _

_Aquaman_ : What the hell, Hunk?!

 _Space Dad_ : What's the ship name? And do we use Katie or Pidge?

 _Matt Skywalker_ : WHY ARE YOU IN A BED WITH MY SISTER, MCCLAIN?!?!

 _Texan Cowboy_ : do we use Gunderson or Holt?

 _Pidgeotto_ : One moment, gimme a moment

 _Matt Skywalker_ : EXPLAIN YOURSELF LANCE

 _Aquaman_ : She told me to!

 _Matt Skywalker_ : WHAT?!?!

 _Space Dad_ : omigodomigodomigod

 _Princess_ : What did I tell you Pidge, you've got game ;-)

 _Pidgeotto_ : Oh god no

 _Matt Skywalker_ : EXPLAIN YOUR SELF, SISTER DEAREST

 _Pidgeotto_ : Whatever

_**Picture Attachment from:** _ _**Pidgeotto** _

_Matt Skywalker:_ SIS!

 _Aquaman_ : You forgot to give photo creds to me

 _Pidgeotto_ : Sorry, photo creds to Lance *insert eye roll here*

 _Space Dad_ :..........why do you have a picture of Keith and I on the bed?

 _Texan Cowboy_ : LANCE

 _Princess_ : NEW SHIP ANYONE?

 _Matt Skywalker_ : Trying to combine shirogane and kogane be like ...?????

 _Princess_ : IKR!

 _Nicer gordon ramsey_ : sheith? Pretty good considering Keith's weird obsession with knives.

 _Aquaman_ : I think you meant 'sheath'

Texan Cowboy: I do not have a knife obsession!

Aquaman: Yes, you do, there was a knife under the pillow that I almost SLEPT ON

 _Texan Cowboy_ : ...

 _Pidgeotto_ : Shiro, be careful of this one

 _Princess_ : Seconded

 _Texan Cowboy_ : Hey!

~~~

Pidge laughs, setting the phone down. 

She stands in front of the mirror of her room's bathroom, glasses off and roughly shucked to the side. She splashes water harshly on her face, trying to quickly get ready and make it to class.

But there was too much going on in her head, spurred by everything that was going on.

For a moment, she closes her eyes, spending a timeless moment on imagination.

_A robot with powers that extended beyond itself._

_A robot with innovative materials and crafting that allowed for new movement._

_A robot that, though best under control, would be able to function without anyone at the reins._

_Big Hero 6 had added a new idea; the concept of a fluid connection between separable robots. The concept of a number of robots being skilled on their own and becoming a worthy opponent is all attack and once. But it would be stronger, more powerful, if combined into one._

_It was something so daring,_ _Pidge_ _realises that no one else was going to try such an idea. It was something that could go so horribly wrong if done by unskilled,_ _gritless_ _hands._

_But_ _Pidge_ _knew_ _Voltron_ _could do it._ _Voltron_ _was strong enough, balanced enough, everyone who their own skill to add to the pool._

_Pidge_ _opens her eyes, slips on her glasses._

She doesn't know know why her fingers slide up unconsciously to her forehead, brushing the hair out of the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how many pickup line websites I have had to visit throughout writing this 
> 
> ...plz no one look at my search history. Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1)Pidge has doubts, worries, emotions, and a surprise for Lance
> 
> 2)Shiro just wants the best for everyone
> 
> 3)There's nothing like summer in the city (*winks*) and nothing like summer at the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness, Pidge is Italian? Guess I've got to put in Cuban-Italian fusion cuisine at some point (and a ton of Luigi jokes)

Friday arrives, and it is a joyous day where thousands of students run out the school doors and out to make havoc.

But...

Pidge becomes more and more terrified at the notion of going back to the family home. Grandma was apparently hosting it this time.

"Grandma also says you and your boyfriend are to come round on Saturday and stay the night for Sunday, and Sunday will be the gathering. You can return to school on Monday," her mother says, seeming to be reading off from a phone text. "She's looking forward to meeting the person who finally 'tamed' you. 

Pidge immediately wants to start screaming, and yelling into the phone. 

But something in Pidge stops her from screaming. Maybe its because she can hear what lies behind her mother's words, that she doesn't really want Pidge to fall into the trap. But Pidge decides to forge on anyway. 

"Tell her that I'm still as free as I used to be," Pidge snaps, her mother's breathing hitching. "And that so is my boyfriend."

Pidge clicks the phone off, thrusting it harshly into her pocket. 

Well, Grandma was about to be in for a surprise. 

~~~

"Pidgeeeeee, Shiro's on my back again about how we haven't given him a fundraiser plan and its almost the end of the weeeeek," Lance whines, repetitively poking Pidge in the back as she tries to read her manual, sitting at her desk. Pidge swats his hand away, continuing to read the manual. 

"What are you even reading?" he asks, trying to reach his arm over to grab it. Pidge dodges, knocking his arm away again. 

"I'm just getting ideas for Voltron."

"You're already naming it?" 

"It's the best name I can think of as of now," Pidge responds. Her fingers traces a line on the manual. 

_Law #1: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm._

"Well, its not a very good one, considering its just the club name-"

Pidge doesn't listen, the line echoing through her head. 

_Law number one._

_Law number one._

_Do not allow a human being to ever come to harm._

She scribbles it down on a notepad, sticking it on her wall. 

"Pidge?" Lance cranes his neck, waving his hand in her face. Pidge swats it away, making a face at him.

"I'm still alive, moron."

"Pidgeotto, you never did explain what's gonna happen tomorrow," Lance casually mentions, twirling a pillow on his index finger. Pidge watches him, blinking fast. She grabs a pillow, trying to imitate him (and sorely failing), having to hold herself back from whacking Lance after he laughs himself sore at her. 

"Well, that's kind of because Mom really only told me what was going on today," Pidge defends. "And its a little more than what I asked you for..."

Pidge rubs the back of her neck, looking down at the bed. 

"I'm basically hogging your whole weekend," she admits. "To hang out with my nutty relatives and pretend that you're in love with me."  To her surprise, Lance smiles, shrugging. 

The look that he gives her startles her, scares her, and stirs something within her, all in one. 

"You say that like its a bad thing. Just tell me what I've gotta pack and I'll be there."

Pidge's eyes widen, and she grins wide. Then, all of a sudden, she throws her arms around Lance, pulling him in for a hug. 

"Thank you," she whispers, her voice sounding vaguely like crying. 

For a moment, he freezes, and Pidge wants to let go, but then he places his arms around her and squeezes tight too,

"You're welcome."

Pidge closes her eyes, reveling in the comfort of Lance's embrace. 

~~~

"Hey, Lance?" Pidge says, calling him from the room phone. "Are you done packing yet?"

Lance, frantically trying to search for clothes that actually looked decent and didn't have some hipster slogan or cuss word on them.

"Uh-yeah, totally!" Lance exclaims, pulling out a flannel with triumph, hand clutching flannel and resting in the air for a while. 

"I forgot to tell you to pack rebel kid clothes in case mom or any random family member pisses me off too much," Pidge says. "And hey, don't worry, it's only two days."

Lance can feel the beads of sweat rolling down his face. How the hell was he supposed to stand 'dating' Pidge for two whole days without growing even crazier than he currently was?!

"Mhhmm, yep," he responds, keeping his voice as level as possible

"When you're finished, and it should be soon, considering you've been packing two hours for a two day trip," Lance doesn't miss the jokingly suspicious tone in Pidge's words, "come back over to mine. I've got something to show you."

Lance can pretty much see Pidge, building an image based on what he could hear.

"Roger that, sir."

Needless to say, Lance finishes packing in five minutes, throwing in a baby blue button down, a pair of non-ripped jeans he didn't know he owned and a shirt with FUCK printed largely in red. 

~~~

"Pidgeon, your knight is shining armour has answered your call!" Lance sings, returning to the conditionally-familiar door of Pidge's room. He hears messing about, noise.

"The door's open, Lance!" 

Lance walks in, startled and bemused at the great change from what it had been just a few hours ago. (not like Lance could say anything, considering the current state of his room). Books, clothes, shoes, were all strewn messily on the floor of the room.

Pidge turns, facing him as her hands continue scrabbling through a box of material under her desk.

" _And hey, don't worry, it's only two days_ ," Lance mimes, making air commas. "What's with all the robotics junk?"

"Mom called me and said Matt was coming, so it's my opportunity to have some quality brother-sister robotics time," Pidge says, eyes alight and sparkling. Her hands eagerly clutch the same manual she'd been reading earlier. "Maybe he can give some pointers for Voltron, considering he's in a club in his college."

Lance nods his head, making an approving face.

"So is that what you called me over here for?" he asks. She shakes her head, expertly tossing the manual into her duffel bag.

"No, I need your opinion on something," she corrects. She stands up, going to the closet and rummaging some more. After a little while, she goes, "What rebellious shit did you pack?"

"Well," Lance starts off proudly, "I have overly-ripped jeans, multiple cuss-word shirts that would make Iverson faint, and I packed some eyeliner. Just in case."

"Did you go through an MCR phase or something? Cuz I thought that was only Keith," Pidge quips. "Aha!" She pulls out a hanger, quickly dashing into the bathroom.

"I did not!" he huffs, offended, in the general direction of the bathroom. "I just happen to have extremely good eyeliner skills, that's all."

He hears some shuffling, something falling, and a very eloquent stream of cuss words from Pidge.

She opens the door.

Lance nearly jumps back.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Pidge?"

Pidge hits him on the head with the anger of a lioness and making Lance fall , but suddenly, she retreats. Pidge rubs the back of her neck shyly, looking down at the floor.

"What do you think?"

Lance shakes his head, rubbing it, trying to ease the pain. Then, he looks up, looking properly at Pidge.

She wore a dress.

What the hell?!

It gripped her at the waist, gentle purple covering her midriff and billowing out in a longer skirt. Pidge doesn't look uncomfortable, despite the style of dress being extremely rare for her. Lance looks at her, then to the picture at her bedside, then back at her.

Lance couldn't stop the pink on his cheeks and the single thought of 'beautiful' going through his head over and over again.

"What do you think?" she asks again, sounding just a bit more irate, hands now on her hips.

"That dress looks great on you," Lance gapes a little, eyes scanning up and down. "But do you want to know where it would look better?"

Pidge's face falls a little, downcast. Obviously, he was going to say it would look better on Nyma or Allura, it was a fact of life. Pidge knows where her strengths lay.

"On my bedroom floor."

Pidge starts blinking rapidly, mouth parting a bit, heat rushing into her cheeks and red flooding in.

...definitely not what she had been expecting.

Lance doesn't expect her to rush back into the bathroom, change out of the dress and reappear in her boyish clothing, the dress on her arm.

"Come on!"

Lance is suddenly tugged on the arm by a bullet, speeding to his dorm room, the dress trailing the air.

He opens the door, Pidge immediately bounding in.

She dumps the dress on the floor beside Lance's bed.

In mock thought, she tilts her head to side and supports her chin with her hand.

"Nah," she concludes. "I think it looks better on me."

Lance flames red, because Pidge was completely right.

~~~

Shiro calls for a Voltron meeting in the afternoon, letting the gang pick the location. Lance immediately screams "Beach!", and Pidge ends up dragged off by a hyperactive beanpole.

With a hat on head, meme shirt over her one-piece swimsuit, Pidge sits in Shiro's stupid mini-van ("Ha, Shiro, this is definitely way too mini!"), grumpily plopped on Lance's lap without any say. 

Goddamn, why did Lance have to pull her out of the room so fast that she'd only brought the robotics manual, a jar of peanut butter cookies, and sunscreen? 

...why didn't she bring any other clothes, including no pants?

Pidge leans back on the right part of Lance's shoulders, surprisingly broad with plenty of space for her. She glances at the window, staring out of it, just watching the scenery go by. After all, the conversation going on was of no interest; something about the tacos in the new food place. 

"Hey, Pidge," Lance whispers, Pidge nearly jolting of how close his voice was, right by her ear. She turns, again jolting because damn, Lance was a lot closer than she was really used to. 

"What?" 

"Are you trying to be an emo in a music video?" 

Pidge, deadpan, blinks in a way that can only be described as judgemental. 

"Okay, sure, eyeliner boy."

Lance pouts, reclining and leaning back again. Pidge shifts her legs, finding the position uncomfortable after Lance moved. All of a sudden, Lance gulps in air, eyes blowing wide, sucking in his lips. 

"Are you okay?" Pidge checks, raising one eyebrow. Lance nods, throat tight, motions so small they were almost imperceptible. She leans in, poking her glasses as she analyses his face curiously. 

"No you're not," she states. Keith looks over. 

"Duh, Captain Obvious. Isn't it obvious why he looks like that?" he says, raising an eyebrow, as if Lance's troubles were the most clear-cut and visible things in the world. Pidge, forever the knowledge seeker, tilts her head to the side as a cue for Keith to continue. . "It's because yo-"

Hunk, not missing a beat, slams his hand over Keith's mouth. 

"Look, Keef, that's unnecessary." 

Keith removes the hand, glaring at Hunk, who immediately falters under his gaze. 

"...did you just call me Keef?"

"KEEF!" Pidge hollers, cupping her hands over her mouth. Lance just bursts into peals of laughter, tears forming at the side of his eyes. Pidge quickly snaps a picture of Keith, fiddling so fast and shoving the phone in Keith's face.

"#KEEF." 

"How did the conversation go from Rolo's Taco Truck to Lance's boner to Keith totally being a meme?" Shiro asks, squinting at the road. Lance nearly jumps up to wrangle Shiro, making a funny sound in the back of his throat, who immediately starts chuckling. Keith sniggers, Hunk shooting Keith a very un-Hunk glare.

"What? I'm not the one who said it."

"Could we maybe talk about the actual club now, maybe?" Shiro immediately realises his mistake, voice tinged with hesitation. "Like we're supposed to?"

The lack of response has Shiro clicking his tongue disapprovingly and irritably, continuing his driving at a considerably faster speed. 

Luckily for Lance (and Keith, judging by the venomous looks on both Lance and Hunk's faces), Pidge conveniently continues to stare out of the window dreamily, looking a lot more distracted and uninvolved than usual. Lance proceeds to stick his tongue out at Keith mockingly, who rolls his eyes and continues tolerating Hunk and Shiro's odd conversation about how freaking terrible the tacos (and the creator, to everyone's agreement) really were. 

Pidge watches the wind blow the leaves away, noticing every little detail with equal attention. It's always been a Pidge thing, really, seeing what others couldn't, noticing what other's didn't, doing what others never dared to do. 

Saturday was going to be fun. 

Sunday even more. 

Pidge remembered the last gathering, where couples were constantly questioned, singles were also constantly question, and divorcees ostracised for their failure. Grandma's family was built on strict rules and traditionalism, doing everything the same. 

So maybe, Pidge thinks, just maybe, her mother was a bit like her to have married such a man like her father. 

She also remembers the dances that they had, Pidge being thrown around the room into the arms of random people, awkwardly maneuvering around feet and free arms, trying her best to glide like she was supposed to. 

And fuck, she'd just realised that Mother would probably shove her in a room with Lance. Not that it was much of a problem, probably having to share a bed with Lance (she was literally sitting on his lap, give her a break), the bigger problems were:

a) The beds in Grandma's place were hard as a rock, even harder than the Garrison, for god's sake,

b)Grandma-and Matt, probably- would end up teasing her the next day, because god, she never had a boyfriend before (fake and real),

c)Mother was probably going to give her the goddamn sex talk again on Saturday. 

"Uh, Pidge? You alive?" Lance waves his hand in her face, bopping her on the nose. 

"Boop!" 

Pidge does it back to him, unable to help the grin that appears on her face. 

"Boop!"

And they hear the click of the camera again, the perpetrator this time being Shiro, pleased that the nightmarish drive was finally over. 

Lance's face falls a little when Pidge leaps off him, eagerly grabbing the mat, holding her spoils, her large shirt fluttering as she laughs and runs to the beach. 

"Okay gang," Shiro says, not bothering with the sunscreen for once, sun mostly covered by the clouds and tamed by the hour of day, protected by a well-positioned umbrella. "Now that we've indulged in teenage conversation, can we move on to actually finalising the fundraising?"

Lance and Pidge side-glance at each other multiple times, gradually growing more communicative each time. 

LANCE: Dude, what did I tell you?

PIDGE: More like, what were you annoying me about!

LANCE: Still, same meaning

PIDGE: Any ideas?!

LANCE: I've got nothing.

PIDGE: ...fuck

LANCE: ...fuCK

PIDGE: We had a week and we did shit

LANCE: Sounds like us

PIDGE: True

"Are you guys going to talk out loud or do I need to continue interpreting your mental conversation?" Shiro asks, smiling with the innocence of a child at them. Pidge jumps.

"Ha...sure..." Pidge trails off, shooting Shiro her best smile, to no avail.

"So, Pidge," Shiro starts, polishing his arm as he talks. Pidge stares at it, for the millionth time admiring the workmanship of the arm. So well built, very different from many others. Pidge made a mental note to ask Shiro of its origins when he wasn't breathing down her back. 

"Uh, yes?"

"Have you and Lance come up with a fundraising idea yet? Keith and Hunk showed me theirs three days ago," Shiro answers. Pidge huffs, side-eyeing Lance again. 

PIDGE: THINK OF AN IDEA NOW I'M GOING TO DISTRACT SPACE DAD

LANCE: ON IT

"I bet that its a food truck," Pidge rolls her eyes, grinning at Hunk. 

"Uh, no, actually, we're organising a fair," Hunk cuts in, eyes sparkling and fists placed over his heart. "So yeah, there are food trucks-"

"-ha!"

"But the focus is spread evenly between entertainment and food. So yeah, we were going to rent an area in the town 'cause its pretty cheap now, the place is like a freaking ghost town, yanno what I mean?"

LANCE: I NEED A BIT MORE TIME

PIDGE: on it

"Uh, entertainment?" Pidge questions, raising an eyebrow. "Like, I see where the food comes in, and I'm assuming Shay is helping out?" Pidge shoots a thumbs up at a nodding Hunk. "But entertainment?"

"Uh, we were going to have a couple of other friends (Pidge almost wants to question if anyone actually has 'other friends', but she keeps her mouth shut) man those cliche fair booths, like the cups and the ring-throwing and stuff," Hunk answers, "But we were going to also have a knife throwing show."

Slowly, every one turns to Keith, everyone looking apprehensive and terrified as ever. 

"What?!"

"I'm not knife obsessed," Lance mocks, making air commas. Keith scowls. 

"Just because I'll do one knife throwing demo doesn't mean-"

"Uh, yes it does."

"It does not!" 

"Hey, Lance!" Shiro steps in, smiling that same pure face from earlier. "So what was your idea again?"

Lance smirks, jumping out and puffing his chest out with so much bravado and confidence that Pidge starts growing worried and genuinely terrified for what Lance was going to say. After all...he had the power to say anything, and she would likely have to go along with it for the sake of continuity. He swings out his arms, already starting to attract attention, the sun lighting up his tan skin. 

"I present to you, dear members of Voltron...the cinematic and glorious experience that is the Mario Kart Championships!"

...oh shit. 

Pidge can already imagine the state of her controllers. 

"We hold this glorious tournament in the sanctity of the 'Ganes' room-"

Keith looks up at him with such a potent pissed off expression.

"Firstly, why my room! Secondly, what the fuck is-"

"Ah hush hush hush! I'm having a moment here!" Lance tuts, shoving a hand in Keith's face. Pidge hides her laughter. 

"-where the most skilled and talented 'karters' compete in individual combat."

Shiro raises both eyebrows, both surprised at the interesting idea, but as a whole completely not surprised. Of course it was going to be gaming, coming from those two. 

"And now, the best part. These players will be bet on by an audience, who place their money in betting pools to hopefully win big off the players. The winner takes-well, I would love to start singing Abba and say the winner takes it all, but we take a lot of it, the betters take some and the player gets...enough to keep him motivated," Lance shrugs. Pidge's eyes widen.

The idea was actually pretty fuckin' good.

Who knew something like that could come out of Lance's brain?

Maybe putting pressure on him worked best. 

Pidge made a mental note to test that theory some time. 

"So yeah, we hold it in Keith and Shiro's room because well, Iverson for the most part believes in you two pure angels," Lance says, probably being honest about Shiro but completely mocking Keith. 

"Basically, we don't need to pay for anything other than providing snacks which we can sell at a profit," Lance explains, "And we make cash from them paying admission to get in the room, the players paying to enter, and quietly nicking a percentage from the betting pool."

"...that's actually a good idea. Good job, Pidge," Shiro pats Pidge on the back. 

Lance freezes, eyes dimming and mouth pinching up a little, space between the eyebrows creasing. Pidge, almost imperceptibly moves away from Shiro.

"It was Lance's idea, actually," she shoots back, her words coming out a lot more cold than she had intended. Shiro immediately looks back up at Lance.

"Oh, god, sorry Lance," Shiro apologises. "That was...foolish of me to say."

"It's alright," Lance brushes it off. 

To anyone else, it would have looked like Lance didn't really care, but this time, Pidge noticed it; everything about his face was still tensed up, disregarding the wide (and very fake) smile still on his face. 

"So, Shiro, do we have the job or not?" Lance and Pidge both ask, almost at the same time. 

"Can't we do it somewhere else, not my freaking room?!" Keith complains. 

"You don't see Shiro complaining," Pidge points out. 

"That's because Shiro's a nice person," Keith argues, "unlike me. Unlike him, I reiterate, I don't really like the idea of other people in my room!"

The whole team (minus Keith) side-eyes each other.

"You guys are different, okay?"

Lance shrugs. 

"We can't hold it in Pidge's room or my room, because it's quickly becoming a hotspot for Iverson, and it's close to the teacher's lounge. Too easy to get caught," Lance reasons. "So if you can think of a place as convenient and free-of-charge as yours, then tell us later."

"Shiro?" Pidge asks. "Are we done yet?"

Shiro sighs, smiling at the group.

"Fine," he answers, and Pidge is already running to her peanut butter, "go have fun."

Hunk, Lance and Pidge run off to the shoreline, Keith staying behind and sitting with Shiro.

"Sometimes that age difference feels a lot bigger than it really is," Hunk says offhandedly. Pidge lays down another mat, closer to the shore, Lance's second favourite part of the beach. And of course, the minute she sits down, she starts shoving cookies in her mouth with no care for how much of a chipmunk she probably looked like. 

"Aww, look, Hunk, Pidge is so chubby!" Lance pinches her cheeks, shaking his hand when Pidge smacks it away. Then, Hunk's eyes trail from Pidge to the food store on the horizon. 

"Holy mother-is that a teriyaki stand?" 

Hunk jumps up, bolting into the distance. The teriyaki stand is actually very, very far from where they were, still on the beach, but it was a large beach after all. 

"His eyesight is truly remarkable," Pidge remarks, stunned. Lance shakes his head. 

"No, that was his sense of smell."

"Ah."

Pidge turns to the shoreline, watching as the crystal-blue waves hit golden sand, breaking, the cycle going on forever and ever. For someone who usually doesn't appreciate the beach, Pidge sure does appreciate it now. Without the sun bearing down like a sauna, without an influx of noisy tourists and families, without anyone else but Lance around her...

It was pretty-pretty nice. 

It's the first time that Pidge notices Lance's eyes are the same colour as the ocean before them.

"You know, back home, I loved the sea even more than I do now," Lance states, similarly enamoured with the waters and the rippling waves. Pidge makes a sound of disbelief in good humour, corners of her mouth tweaking upwards. 

"Impossible."

Lance laughs, the sound of it as clear and entrancing as the ocean itself. Now that Pidge really thought about it, everything about Lance was like the sea, ocean, sands. From his sun-kissed hair and golden tanned skin, eyes as blue as the waters, physique built for swimming, everything really was sea-oriented about this guy. (Maybe that was why the guy dominated EVERY SINGLE beach course in Mario Kart)

"In Cuba, my family and I lived by the sea. And me, and my gazillions of sisters and brothers and cousins and nephews and nieces and aunties and uncles, we, would go swimming every day, kick up the sand, race and find the superior swimmer. Which, of course, was always me," Lance stabs his finger in his chest, much to Pidge's amusement. 

"It just feels so strange."

Pidge, blinks, looking up. Lance's face is undeniably longing, and nostalgic, and sad, but there's something else that she can also place immediately, for it is something she feels too. 

Homesickness.

"It's like my twenty person family suddenly shrunk, in-into you guys."

Pidge's heart beats a little faster.

Isn't that exactly the sentiment she'd mentally expressed, she thinks?

Maybe-maybe that had a little more in common than she'd originally thought. 

"You'll get to meet my twenty person family too, and that's only one side," Pidge chuckles, Lance chuckling softly and rather half-heartedly along with her. Pidge tries to lie down, the advent of sunset also being the advent of her tiredness, finding not enough mat to lie on. Then Lance pats his lap, and Pidge smiles, placing her head there. She doesn't really notice all the little gestures he does after that, smiling down at her as she rants about cousin Lucia and how Matt was going to join them in being the homewrecker, playing with her hair, brushing back her bangs to see her face just that little bit better.

Neither knows how long they spend like that, watching the sun go down, the wind blowing by, the beating of the waves. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And...chapter 6!
> 
> Hope you guys liked this chapter, and please pray for Space Dad for the next chapter :-)
> 
> And one question: Is Sheith technically valid now, considering the whole 18-25 age reveal? (note: me is multishipper, me is no fan of discourse and ship hate, me doesn't want to offend anyone)
> 
> EDIT: Holy crap did Bex just validate Plance?!?!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Lance hates trains. Pidge disagrees. 
> 
> 2)"Hey, mom!" *nervous chuckle*
> 
> 3) Does Pidge like bridal style or piggyback? The question rests on Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heylo! Shorter chapter, I know *cries in procrastination*  
> Admittedly, this is kind of a filler, but still worth a read :-)
> 
> Hope you like it!

"We're going to take the train, okay?" Pidge says, sitting in Lance's room on Saturday morning, duffel on her arm.

"But it's so uncomfortable! Why don't we just get Shiro to give us a ride?" Lance suggests, waving his hands around in numerous transitional hand gestures. Lance's voice cracks numerous times in his spiel, Pidge just facepalming the whole time. 

"It's too far for Shiro, it would be unfair. Plus-"

Pidge's phone starts ringing, The Imperial March ringing out (Lance starting to sing along), 'Space Dad'  appearing on her screen. Alert, and a touch surprised, Pidge picks up the phone. 

"Hey, Shiro?"

"Hunk said you and Lance needed a ride somewhere. Want me to take you?"

Lance, with his freakishly good ears and freakishly long and limber arms, nicks the phone out of Pidge's hand.

"Thanks, Shiro!" Lance exclaims, grinning foolishly. He sticks out a tongue at Pidge, who returns the sentiment straight away.

"I'll come to pick you up at...2?" Shiro says. Pidge nicks back the phone, glaring at Lance stonily. Lance grins, sarcastically putting his hands up.  

"Thanks, Shiro. No Keith with you?" Pidge jokes, smirking. 

"Uh-actually-"

"Hey, motherfu-"

Shiro snatches back the phone, presumably taking a moment to glare at Keith.

"I'd better hang up before this  _rugrat_ starts swearing into all my phone calls," Shiro says, obviously directed at a certain mullet-donning teen (adult?). "Bye."

Pidge puts the phone back in her duffel, bursting into laughter. 

"When are they going to get together, those two?" she jokes, amused grin appearing on her face. Lance frowns, thinking and concentrating (for once, Pidge adds, prompting Lance to attack her with another round of overexcited tickles).

"I think Keith thinks Allura and Shiro are together," Lance points out. "You see how much he scowls and acts all-"

"-emo."

"-yes, thank you Pidge, emo. You see that he closes off in the cafe a lot more, especially when Allura comes around. Like, no hate for Allura," Pidge's mouth pinches instinctively, gaze shifting to the side, "but Keith seems to have something going on."

"Those idiots," Pidge agrees. Honestly, now that Pidge thought about it properly, Allura didn't seem to like Shiro as much as she first thought, more consistently acting like Shiro 2.0 with his shipping antics. 

Why couldn't they see it?

~~~

The ride would have been so, so peaceful, but Pidge and Shiro end up listening (TOLERATING) Lance and KEith arguing yet AGAIN, Shiro wanting to kill himself from behind the wheel, Pidge wanting to kill Lance and Keith from the backseat. 

"Dude, the moon landing was totally real!" Lance argues. "Why would they lie!"

"Mankind definitely wasn't technologically advanced enough to do a fuckin' moon landing!" Keith says, for possibly the fiftieth time in the two hours they'd been in the car. 

Shiro glances at Pidge from the rearview mirror with squinted eyes. 

SHIRO: How do we shut these fuckers up?

PIDGE: I don't know, any ideas? I could just bonk Lance on the head, maybe

SHIRO: I'll get Keith

Pidge leaps on Lance, pinching his nose and causing him to suddenly gulp in, effectively cutting off the stream of words flowing out from his mouth. 

Shiro smacks Keith on the head, pinching his mullet lightly. 

"OW!" Keith would smack Shiro back, but considering he's the driver...Keith is stuck with a hand glued to his precious mullet, with a choice of either 

"Ha! Take that, mullet!" Lance yells, pointing and laughing at Keith. Pidge proceeds to clap her hand over Lance's mouth, smirking at Shiro through the mirror. 

"WE'RE HERE, GUYS!" Shiro almost yells, the statement dripping with relief and thankfulness. Shiro does the best and freaking fastest parallel parking job Pidge has ever seen, sliding in and jumping out the van in less than a millisecond. Shiro runs off to a restaurant a couple hundred metres away, bolting off so fast that no one has time to say 'thanks'. 

Lance and Pidge both grab their bags from the car, Pidge's a considerably larger size than Lance's, probably due to the fluffiness of the dress and the sheer amount of nerd gear she'd brought along. 

"Need help?" Lance says, looking at the bag, then at her. Pidge, realising his thoughts from the stupid smirk plastered on his face, smacks him with the duffel. 

The two walk on, Shiro having parked a ways from the guardhouse. As Lance walks closer, seeing the plethora of large, cream-coloured mansion-type houses, Lance can't help but think that Pidge's grandma is  _loaded_.

The guard lets them in, helpfully bringing them to the house via-buggy. For once, Lance feels like one of those rich golfers who hire someone specifically to just carry clubs for them, who can spend their time whacking balls on pristine green grass. He gets all this from simply sitting on a buggy. 

Pidge stands still in front of one of the houses, obviously her grandmother's. 

It's similar to the rest, all white-picket fence and pretty, vintage-styled patio, and Lance can already imagine the interior design, especially if it was a lone granny occupying the space.  

Pidge takes in one deep breath, and another, hand resting in front of the door. Then, she raps it hard three times, knuckles on wood. 

The door opens, Pidge's mother standing in the doorway.

On first sight, Lance already sees the tightening of Pidge's face, clenching of fists, forced smile so  _wrong_ on Pidge. Her mother, with her burgundy elegant dress and trim hair, pearl necklace, stares down at them. 

"Mmm, morning mum," Pidge says, walking past her and straight to the kitchen, mumbling something vague about peanut butter. Meanwhile, Lance turns to Ms.Holt, looking distracted and not all there

"Nice to meet you, Ms.Holt," he greets, holding out a hand. Colleen, Lance remembers, looks at him coldly and judgmentally, as if scanning every aspect to see what he really was made of. Reluctantly, she shakes his hand. 

"Your full name?"

"Lance McClain, ma'am," he replies, hoping that his face doesn't convey the nervousness and fear. She nods impassively, directing Lance to the kitchen with Pidge.

"When Katie comes back out, or when you get her out, we'll discuss your sleeping arrangements.

From the stories he's heard, Katie Holt's family isn't all as nice as they look.

Lance walks in the kitchen, seeing Pidge happily cleaning out the jar of peanut butter, sitting at the dining table.

"How's my mum?" she asks, spoon still jammed tightly in her mouth.

"She seems...fine," Lance says, making a face. Pidge arches an eyebrow, looking apprehensive.

Okay.

Maybe not.

Now, Lance started understanding why Katie Holt decided to be Pidge Gunderson whenever she could.

"You don't need to be nice, Lance."

Pidge scoops another spoonful, attention directed to the spoon.

Lance frowns.

"Okay, maybe she's a bit scary, and intimidating, and I can kinda she doesn't like me, I don't even know if she's going to buy this whole charade-"

That's really what Pidge had been afraid about, scaring Lance with her wack-ass, straight-laced, outwardly-perfect family.

But Lance can't know her fears. Lance can't know how scared and terrified she really was for the next two days.

Pidge grins, as sunny as Hunk, grabbing Lance's hand, abandoning the peanut butter.

"C'mon."

As they walk out, they both nearly jump back, because Mrs. Holt is stood in the exact same place, exact position of folded arms and stern, frowning face.

Yikes.

"Okay, Katie." Pidge cringes slightly. More side-glances ensue as Mrs. Holt continues babbling about the schedule, rules, what they were to do, what they were  _definitely_ not supposed to do.

PIDGE: Basically, I'll translate, we're allowed to either just laze around the whole day or go out and do something.

LANCE: Fuck, okay, go on

PIDGE: Tomorrow everyone will be here. We're lucky, grandma's hibernating right now.

LANCE: Roger that. Wanna bunk in a room and binge Episodes 1-7?

PIDGE: Fine, but I'm not going to really pay attention to the prequels.

LANCE: Fin-

"Are you two going to keep on talking between yourselves or listen to me?" Mrs. Holt asks, the expression on her face making her look a whole lot like an exasperated Pidge.

"Uh, sorry, we'll listen now," Lance says, Pidge rolling her eyes, rebellious being the only word to describe it. Mrs. Holt blinks, eyes directed to Lance.

"Your room is upstairs, second one to the left. There's only one bed, because the rest have been allocated to other family members coming later on."

Pidge and Lance's eyes meet again.

LANCE: I'm praying it's a big bed. You kick when you sleep.

PIDGE: Excuse me?!

"Go upstairs and do whatever you want, I'm too busy with the preparations for grandma to worry about you two," her mother says, flouncing off soon after. Lance stands there, perplexed.

"Well, you heard the woman," Pidge says.  "Let's go."

Pidge hauls up Lance's bag along with hers, effortlessly carrying both up the long flight of stairs without Lance having any say.

The staircase, already freakishly long and large (a bit like a ballroom, actually) is already a challenge to climb, but Pidge somehow darts up with no problem, the bags she held seemingly no problem.

Lance pushes the cream colored wooden door open with a tentative hand, Pidge beside him. She seems no stranger to the room, or she's just relaxed, because she throws the bags down by the bed without a second glance.

The room looked like a mini-suite, with a sofa, TV, (with an Xbox and Wii, which both yelled happily about) purple fluffy carpet, and a nice poster bed. Then, Lance glances at the walls, noticing the plethora of alien posters and a suspicious band poster plastered messily in a collage on otherwise bare, white walls.

"Was this your room?" Lance can't help but ask, looking around with the curious eyes of a child. Pidge, sitting on the bed and picking at her calloused hands, doesn't reply with much excitement.

"It was my old room from when I still lived here."

Lance doesn't dare question why Mrs. Holt gave them direction if Pisge was (very obviously) still familiar with the place. He doesn't ask why she looks so down. He doesn't ask her anything, because he's terrified of the sad, confused, abashed expression on his face that he has never seen before.

Pidge snaps her head up, expression disappearing. She speaks all of a sudden with all the joy and fervor of earlier, but Lance doesn't believe any of it.

"You know what, maybe we should explore instead of cooping ourselves up in here. The longer we stay in here,  higher the chance we'll have to do actual work around here, and no way am I risking that."

"She just said she doesn't give two shits about us. Well, maybe not that exact phrasing, but you know what I mean," Lance reminds. Pidge shrugs. 

"You realise that the internet here is shit because my grandmother never invested in high-speed? Matt and I go nuts here," Pidge explains, her eyes already drifting over to her duffel. "So yeah, since streaming Star Wars will be as slow as an AT-AT, let's go."

Lance just lets Pidge drag him out of the house, distracted.

Lance had never encountered family like that. At home, he lived with a mother that joked and cared and protected everyone, a father that laughed and poked fun and played, siblings that he'd carry on his back and kids that he would teach to swim. Everyone loved everyone, so to say. 

Pidge didn't seem to be that way. 

How could anyone survive with people like that?

Maybe Mr. Holt was different, and maybe Matt was her beacon of light in the family, but Lance could never be sure unless he tried. 

~~~

On their way home, both a little bit dazed from hanging around places that looked like they were twenty years in the past, Pidge stumbles a bit, rubbing her eyes. Lance glances at her, surprised. 

"You tired already?"

"Uh...yes, no, maybe, a little bit," she finally admits. Lance raises his eyebrows, considering this was someone who could, with willpower, go through a couple of all-nighters in a row and finish term-long assignments in that time frame. So a little bit of window-shopping and parks had tired her out?

Hahahaha. 

She kicks her feet, everything about her motions lazy.

"Look, that antique store was so big that I got tired trying to reach up and above the shelves just to see the century old shit, okay?" Pidge adds on, chuckling. Lance scoffs.

"Midget."

"Hey!" Pidge exclaims. socking him lightly on the arm. "Okay, maybe you're right, but that doesn't change my desire to stab Keith's knife in your neck-"

"Can I carry you Pidge?" Lance whines, putting his hands together in what he prays is a good distraction. "Pleeeeassse?"

Pidge, appalled, smacks him away and walks a little bit faster, jokingly turning back at him and sticking out her tongue at him. 

"No! Why would you even want to carry me?"

"One," Lance counts on his finger, "I'm bored. Two," another finger goes up, "You're tired."

Pidge rolls her eyes.

"Three, I want to see how heavy you are. Just curious."

By now, Lance knows Pidge seriously isn't listening to him, looking down as she walks, hands stuffed in her pockets.

Lance takes a moment, realising that Pidge dressed a lot more femininely, likely for her mother. Her pants weren't cargo and knee-length for once, rather favouring denim shorts, blouse not baggy but a loose floral tank top.

Sure...Pidge was really pretty like this, (wait, what?) but this wasn't  _Pidge_ _._ This looked like Katie Holt, not Pidge Gunderson. Not the Pidge that was practically his best friend. 

Lance knows she wants to get home fast, and he can also guess that Matt returned to the home already, judging by the impatient expression on her face and the way that nervous energy was constantly leaving her body. 

"Hey Pidge, I just realised we never did that whole DTR thing," Lance wonders aloud, much to Pidge's confusion. 

"DTR?"

"Define The Relationship," Lance makes air commas, leaning towards her. Wasn't it something everyone already knew?

"Oh..." Pidge trails off, looking more uncomfortable as she kicks more stones on the sidewalk. She frowns a little, pursing her lips.

"How much PDA does your family need to convince them?"

Pidge huffs out, closing her eyes in deep thought and annoyance.

"I honestly don't know."

Lance gapes.

"So you're telling me that we're going in there blind?!"

Pidge looks left, right, then down, then up at Lance, grinning.

She nods, and Lance pales.

What if he did such a shit job that Pidge would be in an even worse position after the job was done? What if he opened his typically big mouth and said something that exposed them completely? What if he completely changed everything with tomorrow?

"Relax."

Lance sighs, flopping down on the pavement, somehow even more dramatically than Keith would have done it.

"Get up!" Pidge scolds.

"Ugh."

"Why do you want to lie down on a literal sidewalk?!"

"Because."

"If you're so bored just carry me back home or something," Pidge groans, looking like she was seriously regretting her words. "Anything to get you moving."

Lance springs up, grinning like an idiot, smile spreading on his face. 

"Okay, madam Gunderson, would you like the piggy or the bride?" he bows in front of her, smirking. Pidge pinks.

"Um, piggy I guess. I dunno-Lance!" she squeals, after Lance literally scoops her up by the knees and swings her arms around his neck with no warning. 

Suddenly, he bolts off and starts running, Pidge swinging haywire on his back.

"Lance!" she yells again. "What the fuck?! I thought it was going to be a slow walk!"

"You're a lot lighter than I thought, so I wanted to run?" Lance tries to reason, grinning. He tries not to think about how he grips her bare legs and how her face is pretty much right next to his.

Lance continues running, laughing at a pissed off Pidge screaming, hanging on the shoulders.

He can't lie, he loved watching her as he dashed, long legs getting them back in half the time it would have taken them walking. 

When they reach the door though, Pidge leaps off his back with all the energy she had in the morning. 

"Why'd I carry you back if you're so energetic?" Lance complains. Pidge doesn't respond, suddenly freezing. Lance sees it, the boy at the porch turning. 

Pidge runs and throws her arms around the one and only Matt Holt. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ermagherd now the stress of writing a new character with barely any appearance in canon. 
> 
> Wish me luck guys ;-)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) The Return of the Jedi (*cough* MATT SKYWALKER *cough*)
> 
> 2) Eyes go where they really, really shouldn't be
> 
> 3) How exactly did Lance and Pidge meet?
> 
> "I may be as flat as a board but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohohoho, I am so excited for the next few chapters. 
> 
> Updates are probably going to slow down after this, I'm sorry *cries because school*
> 
> Don't worry, Pidge and Lance will get their ending!

Lance can't help but pout a bit as Pidge sits in their shared room with Matt, excitedly chattering about the year so far, Star Wars 8 and of course Voltron.

Wasn't the weekend supposed to be for him and Pidge?

Shut up, Lance thinks to himself, Pidge hasn't been with her brother for months. She's had enough of Lance's stupid face, which Lance bitterly thinks would be something Pidge would actually say.

"Lance!" Matt suddenly hollers, standing up and heading over to Lance with possibly the most angelic expression ever, swinging his legs, hands tucked behind his back.

"Uh, sorry, yes?" Lance jumps up, nearly knocking Matt's glasses off his face. Now standing up straight, he blinks at the height difference, a lot more than he initially thought. Matt looks a lot more like Pidge than he realises, similar (but more masculine) build, fashion sense, round wiry glasses and similar hair. Undeniable siblings.

"How's my sister been?" he tilts his glasses out, scrunitising Lance. God, that was a lot like Pidge.

"Pidgeon?" Matt starts snickering, grinning at an angry Pidge, "Awesome as usual, I guess, her marks are freaking good, she's designing a new robot, Iverson hates her be-"

Pidge, suddenly alert, glares at Lance, willing him not to go on.

"How did you get Iverson to hate you?" Matt asks suspiciously. Unlike many people, Lance realises with a start, Matt was extremely observant and good at inferencing, meaning the glares and stares and little expressions would be picked up.

"Insubordination," she shrugs, keeping her face as level as she had during the altercation with Iverson. "I never liked the guy."

Matt raises an eyebrow, but chooses to drop the subject.

"Okay. Is anyone gonna show me the rough design for this new robot or what?"

A few knocks on the door ensue, Pidge getting up to open the door. Mrs. Holt stands in the doorway, holding a tray.

"Some snacks for you kids," she says, putting it down and closing the door behind her. Pidge, who looked like she was actually going to say 'thank you' for once, frowns as the door closes, probably thinking Lance couldn't see.

She almost looked a little bit...hurt.

She takes the tray up from the floor, bringing it over to the center of the carpet where the trio seemed to have magically drifted towards. Pidge jumps up, reaching for the duffel, Lance cheekily swiping it away with one arm and no further movement. Pidge hisses, glaring.

"Showoff," she mutters. Lance cups his ear mockingly, leaning towards her and looking up.

"What? I can't hear you!"

Pidge pinches Lance on the ear, poking his side and forcing him back into place. Lance squeals, whining a little bit, scowling bitterly at Pidge.

"Aww, Pidgeon, I thought you liked me!" Lance complains. Matt raises his eyebrows.

"Lance, my dear friend," Matt breathes out, relieved, and Lance frowns, "I hurt anyone who pisses me off enough."

"Fair point," Matt interrupts, looking in between the two with squinted eyes. "Now, seriously, can someone pass me the draft?"

Lance hands it to him, blowing a raspberry at Pidge, who returns the favour wwithout abandon. Matt rolls his eyes.

"I miss the days where I could be that childish and not be ridiculed," Matt jokes, making a face at Pidge, who laughs at Matt and flicks him on the nose. With the way Pidge behaves around Lance, all teasing and laughing and mild acts of well-intended violence, she obviously sees him as a brother. Which was pretty awesome, but did she really need another brother around to annoy her? Matt seemed a better sibling than he could ever be.

Matt spreads out the blueprint, looking at the drawings and subconsciously tracing the neat lines that Lance had drawn amazingly fast, in Pidge's opinion. Smooth lines of graphite decorates the paper coloured like Lance's eyes (conveniently, and that was a fact Lance kept on going on about).

An awed, and mildly impressed smile grows on Matt's face the longer his eyes rest on the paper.

"This is actually really, really, good!" Matt exclaims. "Only you two brainstormed this? No Shiro?" 

"Well, Pidge was the one who-"

"Lance helped me the develop the idea immensely, especially because I don't have as much of a knack for visualising as he does," Pidge quickly cuts in, much to both Lance and Matt's surprise. "Sure, I came up with the idea and the tech parts behind it, but this wouldn't have come to light without Lance."

Ruby red flushes Lance's face, looking at a Pidge that was ducking her head a little, her bangs falling in her face, hand tucked on the back of her neck.

"Well, this whole microbot thing is pretty cool, but did you think about how the separate pieces are going to move when they're not connected?" Matt points out, squinting and pushing his glasses.

"Matt does the anime thing too!" Lance squeals, unable to hold it back. Pidge jumps on Lance, clamping her hand over his mouth. Matt whips out his phone and takes a picture, Pidge unfortunately accidentally straddling Lance's cross-leg lap, their chests nearly pressed together.

_new attachment from:_ _**Matt Skywalker (caption: really? right in front of my salad?)** _

Texan Cowboy: Pidge wyd

nicer gordon ramsey: caption=awesome

Princess: Not in front of your brother, please

Space Dad: Lance I thought I raised you better

Aquaman: Gsus I didn't ask for this

Pidgeon: I JUST WANTED TO SHUT HIM UP

Matt Skywalker: Sure. So why are you still on his lap?

Pidge throws her phone down, still beeping happily, launching herself off (a sad) Lance and snatching Matt's phone. He lets it go, a little too easy, much to Lance's amusement.

"S'ok Pidgeon, that's my backup phone. Do whatever, it'll be okay."

Snorting, Pidge pockets the phone.

"Now, you really should reconsider what you're going to be doing for the individual robots. And maybe, for fun, if it works well-you are building a prototype, right?" Lance and Pidge nod, eyes transfixed on their senior. "You know, you two really make a deadly combination."

Matt's eyes glint, creating a very, very deadly feeling in both Pidge and Lance, who start side-eyeing again.

"And I'm not talking about just robotics here."

Pidge goes red, her fingers playing with the ends of her ponytail in an attempt to distance her face from Lance, who rolls up the blueprint and stuffs it back in his bag. Matt doesn't miss anything, from the red tint that no, Lance, was not caused by the jalapeno chips, to the sudden unwillingness to look at the other.

"Well, Pidgeon, I've got to head off for a while now. Mom wants me to do the tech for Grandma's party."

Pidge snorts, much to Lance's surprise.

"Good excuse."

Matt salutes them, shooting upwards and getting out of the room so fast.

Pidge, luckily, doesn't catch the knowing wink that Matt gives Lance, quickly shutting the door behind him soon afterwards.

Pidge, irritated, grabs her phone that was otherwise beeping way too much.

Princess: I bet twenty dollars that Pidge jumped off Lance to get Matt

Matt Skywalker: I'm not going to answer anything

Pidgeon: Gsus now people make bets out of me?

Texan Cowboy: and Lance, to be fair

Pidgeon: ugh

nicer gordon ramsey: I like how Lance isn't replying to anything

Aquaman: ugh

Pidge flops down on the bed, Lance staying stationary on the carpet.

"Hey Lance, you can come on here too you know. Especially since we can binge game now," she points out, "and we can watch Star Wars now."

"Huh?" Lance stands up, heading over to Pidge, leaned back on the headboard. "Hey, scoot over a bit." Lance sits next to her, peering over at Matt's phone clutched in her small hands. Then, Pidge thrusts her arm in the air, laughing and smirking triumphantly all in one.

"What?"

"I just got access to Matt's Wifi," Pidge declares, smirking proudly.

"The force is strong with this one," Lance whispers, as Pidge starts going on about how easy it was and how she was going to channel all the downstream into downloading movies as fast as she could.

Princess: Thirty bucks they're on a bed together awkwardly

Space Dad: I'm betting forty

Texan Cowboy: I call bullshit, they're on a bed but Lance slung his arm over Pidge's shoulder

nicer gordon ramsey: Thirty on Keith's statement

Aquaman: STOP BETTING ON US

Texan Cowboy: I'm right right?

Pidgeon: I'm turning my phone off now

Princess: I've never seen such a cute couple

Aquaman: I'm the cute one, princess, and you better believe it *wink*

Pidge puts the phone down, folding her arms and sighing, letting her head fall on the pillow, Lance sliding down along with her.

"Aww, don't worry Pidge, you're the Obi-Wan for me."

Pidge blinks once, twice, turning to Lance with closed eyes.

"Seriously."

Lance laughs, nuzzling Pidge on the nose and lying down properly.

"Yes."

Pidge's eyes widen, face losing all the snark and sarcasm it had before, staring at an oblivious Lance with a slightly open mouth, eventually shaking her head and waking up to the reality. Did Lance just-? She lets him wrap his arms around her in a bear hug, laughing a bit when she gets poked in the side again.

"Argh, Lance, you'll be the death of me," she remarks.

"You're going to be the death of me if you don't tell me how to act tomorrow," Lance fights back, smiling softly, eyelids half-lidded. Pidge shrugs, curling into the blanket.

"Just go with it."

"How do I just go with it when I don't know your family?"

"I think you might like just having fun and improvising," Pidge remarks, breaking out from Lance's embrace to set up the television, glancing to and from Matt's phone, presumably setting up the wifi. Then, the film starts, Pidge reclining on the bed again.

"We don't have a couple backstory though," Lance points out, going through it in his head.

Well...they could just use the story of how they actually met in Altea, middle school, going on till now. Just tweak a few elements so that they started dating when this year started, maybe?

"Okay, well, we'll say that you fell for my intelligence and love for all things geeky and beyond, I can say I fought to not fall for your idiotic charms but it happened anyway and here I am, going along with it," Pidge suggests, much to Lance's amusement. Imagine if that were real. That people would see extraordinaire Katie Holt dating class clown Lance McClain, what an oddball couple.

"Okay sure, we'll go with that, Katie," Lance answers, mind bouncing to and fro how damn  _cute_ Pidge looked when she was flustered and the movie.

"Tomorrow's going to be a fuckin' long day, just saying," Pidge brings up, shifting back to her normal persona, "because the day starts with breakfast with Grandma, then something annoying probably in the afternoon, then dancing at night. Problem is," Pidge trails off, looking worried, "it's proper ballroom dancing. Cinderella style," she elaborates for a confused Lance.

"Dare you to whip on the dance floor, Pidge!"

Pidge pinches him on the ear with her nails.

"Ow!"

"Okay, now that I've hopefully alleviated your fears, can you just shut up and watch the film?"

"Honestly, Pidge, you've only made them wors-"

Pidge kicks his leg, successfully getting Lance to finally be quiet.

The sky finally turns purple-black when the duo finally fall asleep, partially because of the energy exerted smacking each other.

Pidge never does admit that the reason she doesn't come up with plans for the coming day was because for once, she truly didn't know what to do. 

~~~

In the morning, Pidge wakes up for a number of varying reasons:

1) The sun starts to unkindly burn her eyeballs and face

2) Her phone starts beeping uncontrollably

3) Lance knees her in the boob.

Hard.

"Shit-seriously?!" She tries her best to keep her volume down, clutching her chest in agony, but Lance hears her, jolting awake beside her. He blinks, surprised and very bemused to see Pidge with her hand on her breast.

"Uh...what's up, Pidge?" Lance tries, leaning back and away from Pidge, who collapses back on the bed, splaying her arms out.

"Is that what you say when you knee me?!" Pidge groans, deadpan. Lance really was blur, wasn't he? For someone that claimed to be a ladies man, which he certainly was not, Lance really had no knowledge whatsoever in his chosen field.

"It-it hurts?" Lance stutters, grimacing, simultaneously pulling the trigger for Pidge.

"I may be as flat as a board but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt!"

Matt swings the door open, raised eyebrow and glasses askew, peeking his head in and groaning.

"Mom, they're awake!" Matt hollers down the stairs, Colleen yelling a half-assed "Get them down here!" in response. Pidge throws her pillow at Matt, much to his amusement, as he ducks back behind the door.

"I don't want to see any PDA!" Matt screams, speeding down the hall before Pidge throws her bedside mug at his head. Pidge huffs, heading back to Lance.

Lance stares at Pidge, hair a colloquial mess (as usual, now that he thought about it properly), denim loose on her hips, blouse askew. Very...askew...

Pidge, seeing Lance's line of vision, twists around and grabs her jacket, sliding it on. She sits down on the suitcase, which Lance finds kinda funny and admittedly, is kinda jealous about. He would want to be small enough to fit and sit anywhere without demolishing the place. 

And worse...

Lance kind of really,  _really_ liked morning Pidge. Morning Pidge was cute. Just like the normal, but something about morning domesticity really added to it. Not to mention her very red cheeks, for some reason.

"Do I need to change, is your mum like a sucker for extreme good hygiene or something?" Lance checks, his hands already gripping the worn out band shirt that in turn, gripped his torso. 

"Do what you like."

Quickly, Lance shucks off his shirt, and Pidge can't help but stare at the rounded and soft but shapely torso of Lance McClain, as tan as the rest of him. Shoulders broad, a couple freckles here and there...It's kinda gorgeous really, and Pidge just really wants to-

Wait, what the fuck? Obviously just hormones, Pidge reduces it, and the stress of having to fake date this guy.

Lance looks down at the concentrating Pidge, eyes slowly trailing her line of sight to his shirtless chest. Lance, smirking, grabs a blue shirt and very, very slowly, pulls it on. 

"You're checking me out," Lance says, smirking down at Pidge and sounding way too proud about it. Pidge jumps, startled, nearly falling off the small suitcase in the process.

"I am not!" Pidge huffs, pouting. Lance sits next to her, looking so pleased that Pidge wants to sock him in the face. It takes every bit of restraint she has for her to not slam her fist there. 

"Yes, yes you were~" he sings, getting way too close to Pidge, too close for her to really handle it. Pidge dodges away, furiously red and furiously heading out the door. 

"Hey," Lance whines, quickly following after her. "What did I do?"

~~~

Fast-forward to a peanut butter sandwich and milk, with sides of delectable peanut butter cookies. Pidge and Lance sit opposite Grandma, Matt beside Pidge, Colleen beside Matt, Pidge's numerous cousins, aunties and uncles not present. The table, round and typically marble adorned with lace, is only occupied by the small group. 

"Where's Uncle Kaecilius?" Pidge asks, trying her best to sound coherent with a large amount of peanut butter stuffed in her mouth. Lance really, really has to restrain himself from snatching out his phone and photographing Pidge, Colleen's hard stare preventing it. 

"He had breakfast with Group 3 earlier today," Mrs.Holt answers, sipping on her tea. Lance notices that Grandma doesn't say a word, preferring to just keep quiet and analyse the situation. Pidge didn't understand where her hate of the old woman came from, but he chose not to question it. And who the fuck has breakfast multiple times in groups?!

"Why is this place run like a military operation?" Pidge questions, Matt not saying anything but obviously thinking the same thing. "Why do we have balls, exclusive breakfast groups?"

Mrs.Holt frowns. 

"Grandma is deciding the will," is all she responds with. Pidge surprised, side-eyes Lance.

PIDGE: Change of plans. Put on 'best boy' mode NOW

LANCE: Wait why?

PIDGE: Because if I'm good enough, maybe we can get some of that fortune to fund Voltron

Matt, immediately seeing through the scam, tilts his head upwards. Mrs.Holt glances at Pidge and Lance curiously. 

"Pidge, dear," Pidge nearly winces obviously at the use of the endearment, "You never did tell me how you and Lance here got together. In fact," her eyes shift to Lance, a sudden teasing side of Mrs.Holt appearing and scaring the two. "I don't know much about my daughter's first boyfriend at all!"

Pidge stays silent for a while, head starting to tilt downwards, eyes drifting to Lance. 

LANCE: Ever heard of a plan?!

"Well," Lance starts, chuckling a little for nostalgic effect. Then, he does his best to stare at Pidge with all the love he possibly can, the effect on her noticeable. "We started at the Garrison, basically baby Altea High, around the same time. We were just...well, two middle schoolers who were a bit too strange to fit in. There was also this guy, Hunk, but he comes in later on."

Lance pretends not to notice how Grandma's leaning in closer.

"So we spend our time at the Garrison bonding. Well, I try to bond with Pi-Katie," Lance hastily corrects, greeted with a few confused looks, "but someone just doesn't wanna hang out with me!" Lance jokes, making a face at Pidge, who returns it without missing a beat. Pidge coughs, signalling that she wants to speak. Matt, amused, flicks a dollop of peanut butter right on Pidge's nose, leading to Pidge nearly throttling Matt from over the table. 

"Matt!" 

"Sorry mom, just practicing my physics," Matt covers, grinning like a dork. Pidge coughs again, throwing a glare at Matt. 

"I would have hung with Lance, but something about him was extremely annoying. Like, he was always there, even when I didn't want him to be. And of course, I'm shy, even if I don't seem like that so much," Pidge glares at Lance pointedly, who puts his hands up in defense. "But eventually, we start getting along, through all the failures in school. Hunk comes in and we're a trio friend group."

Pidge starts fidgeting a lot, Matt reclines in his chair looking like he needed(wanted?) a bowl of popcorn to watch the show with, Mrs.Holt raising an eyebrow. 

"In the first day of school this year, I dunno, something just felt different."

Up till here, nothing is a lie. Something felt different, not a lie, but also a lie, because she had no idea what the hell felt different that morning. Ah hell, Pidge thinks, down with that line of thought. Pidge takes a bite of the sandwich to stifle her annoyance. 

"And I think we just slowly realised it," Lance cuts in, glancing at Pidge for reaffirmation. Pidge nods. "It's the little things, you know? I was surprised, too. I never looked at Pidge in that way...but something just clicked."

Pidge swallows hard.

"We're best friends, yeah, but we're definitely more than that at the same time."

Lance gasps softly, prompting Pidge to jolt her head and look at him. He looks...stunned. Not in the way that he would be when he would see Allura, or maybe Nyma, or any girl looking particularly pretty. He looks stunned in the sense that he's never encountered something of the sort before.

"Well, thank you for that very, very interesting story that almost made me throw up from its pure sickening sweetness," Matt quips, breaking the silence that was indeed growing rather uncomfortable. "Now..."

Matt starts distracting Mrs.Holt and a deep-in-thought Grandma with stories of college and how the robot he was building was going to be MEGA AWESOME!

Pidge knows that everything up till there was a lie, so why does she feel that from her side at least, it might just be the truth?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hurhurhur
> 
> Keep an eye out for chapter 9 folks ;-)
> 
> Question: anybody want to beta for me?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Matt is totally a cheater at Mario Kart. Let's face it. 
> 
> 2) Lance should really knock before he walks in a room. Especially if Pidge is inside. 
> 
> 3) Pidge maybe, just maybe finally realises the existence of a virus known as 'feelings'
> 
> "HEY, MCCLAIN, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF PIDGE AND HELP ME DOWN HERE!"   
> ~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHH 1000+ reads! Thanks so much! Reading all your lovely comments just make me go all sappy :-). 
> 
> Now, without further ado...
> 
> The day of the ball begins!

"Matt! You totally cheated!" both Pidge and Lance whine angrily, almost throwing the controllers at Matt simultaneously, who laughs and blocks the onslaught with one arm.

"Just because I very nonchalantly mentioned how Lance was almost on your lap, doesn't mean I was cheating, " Matt shrugs, grinning as the victory shows up on screen, Mario breaking through first, Luigi in tenth and Peach in twelfth.

"It counts as verbal harassment," Pidge scoffs. Lance quickly shifts off her lap.

"Oh thank god you got off, you've got a bony butt," Pidge jokes, grinning at Lance, who sheepishly tries rubbing his butt curiously. Pidge looks away.

"Well, I, for one, would be very happy with challenging our cheating competitor again-" Pidge starts ranting, clearly extremely annoyed, and clearly in need of a distraction. Lance shrugs at Matt.

"Well, I need to go put my face mask on. You two can go battle it out, I don't get skin like this with nothing," Lance flounces off to the bathroom after a quick glance at the clock, holding a pack. After the door closes, Matt turns to Pidge.

"Is he always like that?" he asks, setting up another game. Pidge, apathetic, shrugs.

"Yeah, usually, but it hasn't really bothered me. Sometimes, we do spa night," Pidge answers, debating on whether to join Lance for the day or not. One time, he'd used a homemade sugar scrub on her face and she'd ended up with red, raw skin for a week, so she was still indeed a little apprehensive of his methods.

"You're not actually dating him, are you?" Matt points out, smiling surreptitiously at Pidge. She puts on her best frown.

"What do you mean?"

"As in, you're fake dating to please mom and Grandma," Matt points out. Pidge, eyes lost in thought, tilts her head up in acknowledgment.

"What gave it away?"

"The blushing, the looks, the sitting on each other, I wasn't sure whether Shiro was lying or not when he explained you two had just gotten together," Matt points out. "But you two obviously just don't admit that you want it to be real."

Pidge scowls, not wanting to look at Matt for possibly the first time.

Lance wasn't someone she could ever feasibly be with. No one feasibly be with her, with everything that she was. And Lance deserved someone that could give him their all, considering how much he craves attention already.

Pidge could never do that.

"I don't want it to be real," she responds. "Lance is just...a good friend?"

"Your sickly background story says otherwise," Matt scoffs, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "No one sounds that genuine when lying."

"Except for me!"

Matt bursts out into peals of hysterical laughter, glasses almost falling off his face. Pidge smacks him lightly.

"Ahh, sis," Matt chokes out between laughs, "you really got a lot funnier since hanging with Lance."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lance bursts out from behind the bathroom door, face covered with a white aloe face mask. Pidge bursts out into laughter similar to Matt's, much to the boy's bewilderment.

"Why's everyone laughing?!"

"Oh, oh, nothing..." Pidge cackles, clutching at her stomach. Lance sticks out his tongue at her, rolling his eyes.

"C'mere, I've got one for you, and one for you if you like, Matt," Lance offers, holding out identical masks for Pidge and Matt.

"Uh, I'm gonna have to pass," Matt fights to keep his face stable, Lance in the mask a funny sight. "But please do put it on my sister, she needs it."

Pidge, suddenly, alerts, slowly starts backing away from boys. Lance, smirk plastered on his stupid face, walks closer to Pidge.

"C'mon, Pidgeon, you know you want it~" he teases, sing song voice turned on. The words and the way he says it brings a flush to Pidge's cheeks, scrambling away. Then, all of a sudden, Pidge feels hands digging into her sides, making her twist and turn while trying not to succumb.

"Agh, Lance, just let me shower first at least, 'kay?" she says to the Lance that already hogged the bathroom and the shower. Lance breathes out a quiet "Oh...", stopping the onslaught and letting Pidge  _breathe._

"Goddamnit, Lance, just go play Mario with Matt or something."

Pidge stomps into the bathroom, the sound of rushing water ensuing soon after.

"Matt! Lance! Katie!" Mrs. Holt calls.

"Showering!" Pidge yells from the bathroom, followed by a loud huff.

"Fine, Lance and Matt, I need some help with decorating!" she hollers. The duo, quickly looking at each other nervously, hop down the stairs in record time.

Mrs. Holt waits for them at the end of the massive staircase, holding a big bucket of streamers in one hand and grasping a large bag of balloons in the other. 

Lance nearly faints. 

As he and Matt sit in the living room, Lance only then realises he appeared in front of Mrs. Holt with his face mask on. 

"Hey Matt," Lance pants out, arms sore from pumping balloons, thankfully avoiding sweat by hiding out in the freezing living room. "I've gotta go get this off now."

"The mask, or your clothes for Pidge?" Matt doesn't even miss a beat, his eyes directed to plaiting the streamers prettily, a job he was surprisingly good at. Maybe robotics helped him be good with fiddling with little things, Lance thinks. 

Wait...

What did Matt say?

"Oi! I meant my face mask," Lance points to his mask, lips curling up in a sneer. "And I'm going to go take it off."

Lance heads up the stairs, muttering angrily under his breath and shucking off the mask, pushing the door harshly and shoving his way in, head ducked down. 

Pidge.

Pidge, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her waist, bent over her suitcase and rummaging for her clothes. 

"LANCE!" 

Pidge freezes, unable to move quickly for fear of the towel slipping down. Lance freezes too, seemingly glued to the spot. 

Oh, oh god. 

He was  _screwed_. 

Pidge, face red and stunned and embarrassed in summary, quickly turns around and ducks under the bed. 

"What the hell Lance, get out! Stop being a perv!"

"Why are you standing in our shared room, I remind you,  _shared_ , wearing a towel?!" Lance screams, flipping around and facing the hallway, face on fire and mouth pinched in. 

"Because my fucking clothes are in my fucking suitcase! Now stay turned around, because I want to put some clothes on!"  

Lance covers his mouth with a hand, bending down with back to the room, listening to the loud and hurried rustle of clothes and huffing of Pidge. She taps him on the shoulder, standing above him. 

Lance stares at Pidge, practically glowing, her hair actually somewhat combed and conditioned (like Lance had always told her to, offering at least three different scents), wearing a t-shirt and skirt. Mini...skirt? The edge just brushes his nose, his nose that soon turns very, very red. 

Then, Pidge slaps him on the head. 

"Holy shit Pidge!" Lance screams, cowering under a pissed Pidge's wrath. Then, seeing his face, she bursts into laughter, immediately stopping. 

"S-sorry, that was a bit extreme," she apologises, collapsing on the floor beside him. Lance smiles, a lot more tenderly than he'd originally intended. "But seriously, next time, you can just knock, yanno?"

"Y-yeah." 

"HEY, MCCLAIN, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF PIDGE AND HELP ME DOWN HERE!" 

"MATT, I SWEAR TO-"

Matt's already neautralised by the time Lance manages to get down, a smirking Pidge on top of him. 

Lance fist bumps her.

~~~

Approximately one hour later, the trio finish decorating the massive, linoleum tiled ballroom, the atypical colourful decorations standing out amidst everything else about the place, colour pale as cream.  

Mrs. Holt, suddenly very different in nature, ushers them back to their room and rushes them to get ready, saying everyone was returning to the house. She waves Lance and Pidge into the room, shutting the door and giving Lance a wink. 

What the hell?

"Okay, ground rules, you can use the bathroom first, I'll wait out here. BRING EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN,"  Pidge capitalises, plopping face-first on the bed. 

Lance laughs at her pure tire, mostly because he'd been the one carrying her on his shoulders to reach the ceiling and decorate. Ha, like sitting on him was hard. Not like she was exceptionally heavy or anything, but still...

"What?" she asks, sounding annoyed. 

"Nothing."

Lance grabs his stuff, including but not limited to a tux, a bag chock-full of waay too many products and his phone. Hey, if he was going to class-up, he was getting some damn good mirror selfies. 

"And get dressed quickly, dinner's not going to wait for us," Pidge says. Lance chuckles softly, firing finger guns at her. 

"Gotcha, cadet."

He heads in, closing the door behind him. 

Pidge immediately lets out a groan she was definitely holding for way too long, almost like a groan of relief, if that even existed. 

Since when did she care about what Lance thought? Since when did she wonder what the little gestures, actions, words, meant?

Lance was an idiot. An idiot that trailed pretty girls with no time for him down the streets, an idiot that didn't pay attention in class but did well anyway, an idiot that dropped stupid pick-up lines and an idiot that didn't see her as a  _girl_ most of the time. 

Lance was...her idiot?

Pidge groans again, stuffing her face back in the pillow. 

It wasn't a crush. 

It wasn't a crush. 

It

Wasn't

A

Fucking

Crush. 

Pidge screams again, muffling it with the pillow. 

It was just the aggressive shipping hurting her mind, the pressure of convincing people that he was her boyfriend, the pain of watching as he flirted with every other girl in sight-

What?

Stop it, Pidge! 

Just because there exists an admittedly good-looking guy, who drops pickup lines on Pidge out of jokes and not flirtation, who shares a bed and sits on laps with no second thought-

Pidge!

Wait.

"Pidge~" Lance busts the door open, suavely cocking his hip, one hand supporting the back of his head, eyes half-lidded and teeth clenched in a bad tango impression. 

Pidge scurries to press her back to the headboard of the flame, pulling up her pillow and covering her face from cheeks down. 

Lance in a tux, all cleaned up (well he usually was, except for that scruffy jacket he always insists on wearing) and smiling like an idiot, had some kind of magical effect on Pidge. Wordless, blushing, would stutter if she would dare to speak, Pidge can only stare wide-eyed. 

"Well, what do you think?" 

"Uh-um, great."

Lance raises an eyebrow. 

"Fifty creams, my best cologne and a hand-pressed tux, and the only reaction I get is 'great'?" Lance complains, air quoting Pidge, who smiles softly.

"What, do you want me to list all the synonyms for great?" she jokes. "So prodigious, stunning, un-fucking-believable-"

"You're un-fucking-believable," Lance snorts, picking Pidge up and dropping her off in front of the bed. "Get your stuff, get ready, I'm just going to admire myself in this mirror."

Lance puts on his best flirt smirk in the mirror, making Pidge giggle on her way into the bathroom.

Shit.

Giggle?

Pidge dresses faster this time, having had practice at home. Just for the heck of it, she puts on a little lip gloss, a little mascara and eyeliner (Shiro probably would have cried if he saw how bad a job she did in comparison to him, but she was passable). Pidge closes her eyes, pulls off her glasses and slides her hairtie off her ponytail.

_Come on._

_Do this right, and you could get two victories tonight. Maybe three._

_Grandma, the family,_

_The funds,_

... _maybe one more._

Pidge opens her eyes, blinking repeatedly at her reflection.

She hasn't looked like this in a long, long time, small heeled shoes, a party dress her mother loved, hair tamed and down finished with a purple hairband, face with just little smudges of badly-applied but helpful makeup.

Maybe...

Maybe Pidge Gunderson and Katie Holt could be one person after all. Not two versions of one person. 

Pidge breathes in, pushing the door open nervously.

Lance, now seated on the bed and fiddling with his seashell blue bowtie, drops his phone on the floor.

Then, he stands up, walking closer to her, eyes scanning her quickly before resting back on Pidge's own. God, Lance's eyes really were pretty, did he know that?

He smiles gently, softly, a look more tender than Pidge had really seen before.

Her heart dares to stop beating for that moment. How dare it.

He holds a hand out to her, bowing and smirking with closed eyes.

"Well,  _Katie,_ " Lance looks up at her, grinning as suavely as earlier.

Pidge places his hand in his, grinning at him with as much confidence as him. 

"Let's blow this popsicle stand."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 
> 
> CHAPTER 10 IS A MENACE I TELL YOU
> 
> (I mean it was a menace to start to write, probably a menace to read, and a menace for poor Lance and Pidge)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1)Pidge just really likes tiramisu, much to Lance's chagrin.
> 
> 2)Dancing is easier said than done, especially in front of a crowd,
> 
> 3)Lance and Pidge realise some important things.
> 
> "Let instincts be the guide tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER 10!!  
> woop woop  
> Thanks for 1k guys! I love reading the lovely reviews and kudos, they keep me writing this!  
> And now, without further ado,  
> Let the ball begin!

The ballroom is bustling with (too many) people when they walk down together, putting their best couple smiles on the second they notice older relatives coming near to start complimenting them or possibly passive-aggressively criticise them, Lance wasn't sure. Pidge recognises her relatives, searching with all the hope she had in her body to see Dad.

Nada. 

Of course, what was she expecting?

Matt bounds up to them, in a purple tux in a similar colour to Pidge's and toting a gaudy purple bow tie. 

"Ayyy, matching!" he points finger guns at Pidge.

"Why do you have a...purple tuxedo?" Lance questions, frowning. It wasn't exactly a common tux colour, was it?

"Well, Grandma made us Holt siblings a pair outfit. So I got this wack tux with polka dot bowtie," Matt adjusts the bowtie, grinning proudly, "and Pidge got that purple dress that you obviously like so much."

"Matt!" Pidge complains. He laughs jokingly.

"Don't worry sis, I'll vamoose. Have fun, but don't have too much fun!"

The wink Matt gives says it all, passing by Pidge with an encouraging pat on the back. 

Lance ends up running away from Matt with an angry Pidge in tow, arms lunging out.

"I almost had him!" she laughs loudly, all previous temporary anger dissipated. Lance puts her down gently.

"Uh, no you didn't."

"Yes I did!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance spots Pidge's grandma watching them from over at the buffet table. Trying not to be loud, he bends a little and whisper-hisses. 

"Pidge, your grandma!"

Pidge grabs him by the bowtie, yanking his face right next to hers, her glossed mouth by his ear. Lance hopes that the lighting stops Pidge from seeing how  _goddamn_ red he is, because that would be helluva embarrassing.

"Just play along with me, okay?"

Stunned, red, and more excited than he would admit, Lance simply nodding silently.

Pidge grips the back of his neck, cupping it with her hands. Lance nearly wants to tease her for how much she has to stretch to reach there.

"Just look like we're talking very intimately, smile a lot please," Pidge instructs, her face suddenly switching to a softer, kinder looking version of her. Lance follows suit. Not daring to look at Grandma, Pidge releases her grip slightly, allowing her to look at Lance properly.

"Did you know that...Bigfoot is definitely real?"

Well, Lance definitely didn't expect that, but it has Pidge's desired effect. Lance chuckles softly, the corner of his mouth twitching up.

"Did you know that...the freestyle swimming style is really called front crawl?" Lance wiggles his eyebrows at Pidge, who scoffs.

Grandma departs, the expression on her face unreadable as she floats away. Pidge sighs out in relief, immediately releasing Lance's neck and shaking her hands.

"Oohkay, that was hopefully enough lovey dovey staring for at least a while." Hands on hips, puffy skirt swooshing around, Pidge grabs his hand and pulls Lance over to the buffet table.

"Surprise!"

Pidge points proudly to a large tray of...

"Garlic knots?! Holy shit, Pidge!" Lance exclaims, too hungry to care about social etiquette. He and Pidge grab a plate, starting to load it full of garlic knots, Pidge leaning towards the cheese dipping bowl.

"Aww hell no, you're not ruining perfectly good garlic knots and perfectly good cheese dip!" Lance snatches Pidge's knots off her plate before she can dip it in, running off with the plate to somewhere in the ballroom. People start squealing, a few angry shouts ensuing when Pidge ungracefully steps on one of their feet with no care.  

"You like cheese on triangular bread, what's the problem with these!" Pidge complains, quickly catching up to the lanky and less agile Lance and tugging on his suit jacket. Lance, startled, nearly drops the garlic knots. 

"You're ruining your own culture, Pidge!" Lance exclaims, biting into one with the savagery of a caveman. 

"Mmm..." Lance moans, right in Pidge's face, taunting her. Furious and very red, Pidge pushes herself past Lance and back towards the garlic knots, making a show of slowly dipping the knots into a dipping bowl of cheese, slowly pulling it out and biting on it with such a smirk on her face. 

Heat, heat, heat, and Lance has to run away before he bursts into flames. Actual, actual flames. He needs to stop looking at the way those lips wrap around the knots...

What the fuck?!

Pidge follows him through the crowd, realising that it wasn't just a family gathering, Grandma had invited some...friends. 

Pidge swiftly makes her way through back to Lance, wondering why he disappeared. Cheekily, she tugs on his jacket, sticking her tongue out at him. 

"Why'd you run off?"

Lance rubs the back of his neck, eyes looking up to the left.

"Um, well," Lance's eyes drift left, right, left, right, "there was this real hot girl and-"

"We're supposed to be fake dating," Pidge reminds, looking skeptical with her folded arms. Lance, sticking his tongue out, pinches her cheek softly and jokingly. She slaps his hand away.

"Aww, is someone jealous?"

"No!" Pidge exclaims, just a little bit too loudly.  Lance almost speaks again, but Pidge continues. "I just want to keep the act up for Voltron's sake, alright?" Pidge grimaces after she speaks, knowing she'd been a little too loud to cover up any...extra emotion.

"Oh-okay." Lance falters noticeably. "Hey, want me to get you some garlic knots?"

"Nah. I spy tiramisu." Lance knew that if Pidge had her glasses on, they would likely start glinting, but now only her bright eyes sparkle.

"But Pidge, there's alcohol in that!" Lance scolds, grabbing Pidge and pointing her towards the jelly plates. "Look, jelly! And it's rainbow!"

"Ugh, such a baby." Pidge scoffs, breaking free and going to the tiramisu. "I'm going for the good stuff!"

"Ha, so that means you're coming over here, obviously!" Lance exclaims, hand on his and the other holding a plate of precariously scooped and very jiggly jelly. Pidge makes an L over her forehead, sneering at Lance and holding a plate of tiramisu. She plops down on one of the sofas, another boy sitting down next to her almost at thte same time. 

He glances at her, then again. The third time, she catches him looking, smiling confoundedly.

"You okay?"

"No, my mind was just blown," the boy answers. Pidge, trained from all her time spent with Lance, is almost ready to unleash the Almighty groan.

"By what?"

Playing along is a reflex now. Trained. Ingrained. 

"By you," he answers, missing a beat. "I'm your mother's friend's son, Katie," the boy explains. Pidge, suspicious, raises an eyebrow. The boy sounds like he was programmed to say certain things, like the robots Pidge creates. 

"Name?"

"Marcus."

Pidge lets her guard down a little. Whatever. 

"That was a really bad pick up line, for the record," she comments, taking another bite while staring out at the crowd, eyes filtering through heads of blonde, orange and black in search of Lance. Where was her brown-haired boy?

"I'm not very good at them," he admits, chuckling softly, sweet smile on his face. "I'm not that kind of guy comfortable with that, you know? You looked too smart to fall for it, anyway," Marcus remarks offhandedly. Pidge blinks, surprised.

Lance, from afar, stops chatting with one of the many cheery aunties who looked like they could stab you in the back at any moment.

His eyes fall on Pidge, slowly narrowing.

Who was that?

Who was that dark-haired boy looking at Pidge like she was the light of his life?!

Aw  _hell_ no. 

Lance navigates, reaching Pidge.

Why was she...smiling? Smiling so happily? Actually laughing?

No, no, no.

"Hi, Pi-Katie! Could I uh-ask you something?" Lance, as innocently as he could, jogs over and grins at Pidge. 

Pidge, hands on her lap and tiramisu abandoned to the side (never a good sign), looks up at Lance curiously.

"What?"

Lance's eyes lock on the boy's, giving him his best evil glare.

"I was just going to ask-just going to ask who this is!" Lance tries his best to sound cheerful, despite being far from that. His head boils, heart thumps. Marcus looks surprised, widening his eyes curiously. 

"I'm Marcus. Family friend," he offers his hand. Lance stares at it for a moment, eventually taking it and squeezing hard. Marcus lets go, shaking his own hand sporadically in the air. Lance suppresses a smirk. 

"Oh," Lance says. Family friend, and family friend only? Okay...but the way he looks at her...

Lance grabs Pidge's hand, looking at her for confirmation. She shrugs, nodding. 

"Looks like my fr-boyfriend's calling!" she chirps, putting on such a fake smile that Lance himself is stunned.  Then, she gets up, pushing the satisfyingly floofy skirt behind her and rushing off with Lance. The minute Marcus is out of eyeshot, Lance rolls his eyes at Pidge.

"What happened to keeping up the act?" he reminds, folding his arms and sticking out his lips a little. Pidge giggles, honest-to-goodness  _giggles_ , scoffing and shaking her head in mock disapproval. 

He doesn't expect to see such a snide and proud smile on her face. Snide. Snide...like she'd just achieved something. What the fuck?

"Family, its time to hit the dance floor!" cheers one of the uncles, one of the only decent looking ones actually, smile pretty much genuine. "Let's dance!"

Suddenly, 80's and 90's pop music starts blaring through the ballroom's  sound system, most of the crowd immediately starting to jam, tapping their feet, jumping. Pidge and Lance stare up at the ceiling, bewildered. Very bewildered. 

"You said ballroom dancing." Lance looks deadpan, and Pidge sheepish. 

"Well, I assumed..." Pidge smiles sheepishly.

Lance facepalms. 

"Well, do you want to dance or not?" Lance asks, sounding a lot more demanding than earlier. Pidge, taken aback, doesn't answer. Did Marcus...did hanging out with Marcus make him jealous? Did he see her with another person for perhaps the first time ever and actually get jealous? Is that why he was acting so alpha?

Pidge smirks again, letting loose a little laugh. 

Of course. 

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

Pidge, not really a fan of the seemingly randomised music currently playing (no matter what era it was from, and NO FETTY WAP LANCE, GODDAMNIT), can only watch as Lance starts to bust out the dance moves, from jumping, to some kind of weird but complex-looking arm gestures, to randomly grabbing Pidge's waist and pulling her closer to him. Something about the arm gestures makes them simultaneously extremely stupid, interesting, and insufferably Lance. 

The music changes. 

_Boy, you got me helpless!_

"Ump-oof!" she coughs out, caught by surprise, not daring to look up at him. Lance, laughing, takes her by the hand and twirls her around, raising his arm above hers. God, the height difference, Pidge thought, but it did kind of make everything easier, now that she thought about it. Like the dancing, walking, sitting on laps...

_Everybody's dancing and the band's top volume,_

The music...

Wait, was this Matt's playlist?!

So this was the freaking technical job? Lucky bastard!

Pidge lets herself be pulled in to Lance, who guides her in his mismatched and strange dance, ranging from a wrongly-done box step to a fucking dab. But whatever. It didn't matter. 

_Trying to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom,_

She tries not to think about earlier, how she'd paled and reddened angrily from the corner by the tiramisu when she saw that girl that Lance was flirting with, that guy he looked a little too friendly with, how that girl had twirled her hair and smiled sickeningly. He was supposed to be fake dating her! All this was because of the fake dating...right? 

Nervous, Pidge can feel the sweat rolling down the side of her head and down her palms to her forearms, grasped by a very passionate Lance, leading Pidge on. 

Ha. 

Pidge makes the mistake of looking up at Lance, while he holds her hand, their arms stretched out and stupid grins plastered on their face. 

Oh god. 

Pidge sees how his eyes sparkle with joy and fun, the little crinkles at the corner of his eyes, the sides of his mouth stretched out. Pidge sees it all. The ocean blue shines, brown unable to look away. 

_Look into your eyes and the sky's the limit,_

Well, thanks to Matt, Pidge mentally admonishes. Obviously, her reaction was spurred by the song. She was nothing, nothing like the song. Noooooothing. 

"What's on your mind, Pidgeon?" Lance jumps, Pidge staying with her two feet solid on the ground. The music starts getting louder. Louder. Thumping in her ears, flooding her head, the music and Lance the only things she could hear. 

_Then you look back at me and suddenly I'm helpless!_

Oh my god. 

Pidge has to purposefully look away. Don't look at the eyes that can transport her back to that day at the ocean, where she'd laid on his lap and smiled and talked and grinned and just bonded, really. Bonded over family, troubles, everything. Don't look at those eyes. 

Hell.

_I'm drowning in 'em!_

No, no, no. 

Lance tugs her arm, pulling her around and switching places with her. 

"And you said you couldn't dance," Lance states offhandedly, looking down at her shoes. The shoes that she definitely wanted to strip off, now, for the sake of her comfort. They were pretty, and she liked them...but just no. Maybe they weren't the only things she wanted to strip off. 

What.

The.

Fuck?!

"I could say the same for you," Pidge reminds, raising her eyebrows. "Like, I didn't know you could do a Yeti-impression while handling a lightsaber."

Lance huffs. 

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he says, after a moment of silence. The music changes, tempo slowing, volume going down. The song...a slow dance?

Pidge jolts her head up, seeing the little room in the upper-right that Matt sits in, happily avoiding the pain of socialising while still getting dessert and good tunes. God, that would have been the best job. Stay in a room, alone. Noticing her, Matt flashes her a thumbs up, looking at an oblivious Lance, then at her. Pidge gives him her best glare. 

PIDGE: WHY DID YOU PLAY THAT SONG YOU KNOW I CAN'T RESIST IT

MATT: Sister dearest, there are many things you know, but you're missing one big thing that's right in front of you. 

PIDGE: Yeah, the tiramisu. Thanks for the heads up!

Matt facepalms. 

Well, this would need a dramatic change, Matt realises as he watches his stupid kid sister drag Lance back over to the tiramisu yet again. So, the song wasn't to her liking. 

Then, he would have to do something about that. 

Matt flicks through his iPod, frowning and making sounds of dissatisfaction. Shakira, no, Beyonce, no, Pet Shop Boys, no. Hmm...

Maybe this? Better, its even an extended version. 

Matt presses the song title, not caring that the current song was still ongoing. Sounded really bland, Matt realises with a start. Thank goodness Pidge had such a loving, awesome brother. 

~meanwhile~

Lance groans for what is probably the millionth time after Pidge, for the millionth time, shoves a piece of tiramisu into her mouth. 

"Why do you like that so much?"

"Two of my favourite things; alcohol and coffee," she replies without missing a beat, nearly cringing at the slow music. It was actually so generic, the typical violins and saxophone blaring in the background. Definitely not worth putting in dancing effort. 

"You're fifteen."

"If you want to fake-date me, you've got to put up with my faults," Pidge bites back, rolling her eyes rebelliously. Lance smirks. Pidge wanted to play smooth? 

"What faults? From my perspective, you're one hundred perfect," Lance delivers, putting on his best face and smile. 

"From mine, you look like a potato." Pidge puts down the empty plate, starting to eye the whole freaking container. Lance picks her up behind and by the waist, carrying her back to the side of the emptying dance floor when he sees her eyes glint and hand gravitate to the jumbo spoon. 

"No more alcohol-infused sponge and cream for you, Pidgeon," Lance scolds, putting her back down. 

All of a sudden, the song changes, creepily...ominous. But then, dialogue starts, and Lance's eyes fly up at Matt nervously.

LANCE: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

MATT: NO

LANCE: WE'RE NOT EVEN THAT AGE

MATT: CHRIST, LANCE GO WITH IT 

Matt flashes him two thumbs up, reclining back on his chair and relaxing with both hands behind his head. 

Lance turns to Pidge, who seems to have a similar reaction to him. 

_See bad movies, sneak a beer and watch TV,_

Lance bows in front of her, a light rose colour dusting Pidge's cheeks. Was she wearing blush earlier?

"So, milady," Lance holds out his hand, looking up at her from his lowered back, "would you like to dance?"

Pidge blinks once, twice, thrice. Then, she loosens up, relaxing and placing her small hand in his. In that instant, Lance begins to notice all the little things; how nicely hers fit in his, the little callouses and burns and blisters from all the work she does. He straightens up. 

_Can't we be seventeen?_

Lance, knowing that with the fewer people on the floor and more eyes watching, takes Pidge's hand and guides it higher, placing his other hand on her hip and hers going on his shoulder. 

And the waltz begins.

Pidge steps to the side tentatively first, looking at Lance nervously, pretty eyes questioning him. Was that eyeliner? Her eyelashes were longer than usual, darker too. And her eyelids were shimmery. Lance reminds himself to ask Pidge for that eyeshadow afterwards. Wait. 

He nods, smiling softly at her. Suddenly, something fills her with confidence, pulling his arm along with his, his feet instinctively following along with her quick and gliding series of steps. 

God, could Pidge dance. 

_I could be good with you_

She shines like a star on the floor, for some reason, hair swooshing rather satisfyingly as she guides him, twisting him around and stepping complexly, posture perfect as she does all. 

One, two, three, four...

Pidge's grandmother smiles a bit. More than he'd seen her smile before. Mrs. Holt looks like she's going to cry. 

_Maybe prom night, maybe dancing,_

Lance takes a bit of lead, twirling Pidge around with hand aloft, twisting her out and pulling her close to him, chests pressed against each other. 

He stares. No other word to describe it, really. Her eyes, that she had described more than once as boring brown, this time ensnares him. He can't look away. He gets lost in them. Mouth slightly parted, Pidge's too...

_Don't stop looking in my eyes!_

Pidge pulls him away again, feet moving in what looks like a box step, crossing over and over. She grows more and more sure in herself, face fierce and confident, but also...strangely soft? 

The spotlight shines on Pidge, never leaving, and Lance is sure that if he were watching and not dancing his eyes would never leave her; something's just hypnotizing about how her dress shines and moves and how her feet sweep across the floor, how her hair moves along with her. Beautiful. 

And all of a sudden, Lance feels everything strongly. The hold of Pidge's hand. The feeling of her hand on his shoulder. How her hips moved under the gentle grip of his hand. The music pounds in his ears, the only thing in his view Pidge Gunderson and everything she was.

_Let us be seventeen!_

Lance locks close to Pidge, scared at how right it felt following her, working together with her, being her partner. Why did it feel so right? Right to want her in his arms? Right to want to hold her in his hands and lean down and-

_So what's it gonna be?_

 The crowd starts applauding, and Matt grins happily, changing the song as it fades out gently. 

That lyrics ring in Lance's ears over and over again. 

Lance guides Pidge outside by a confidently gripped hand, not noticing the blushing, stuttering mess that Pidge had suddenly turned into, contrasting with the persona from the dance floor. They navigate past the tables, the hallway, through and out through the door, going into the lush and surprisingly well-maintained gardens. Lance has no idea what he's doing, or why he's pulling Pidge out of her fucking family gathering for privacy in a garden, but so be it. 

Let instincts be the guide tonight. 

Together, they enter a clearing, surrounded by a wall of hedge taller than Pidge but shorter than Lance, ("Ha!"), a clear view of the clear night sky and shining moon available for them. 

 _Katie_. 

They sit on the garden seat on the outside, night chill nothing for Lance in his multi-layer tux, Pidge suffering a little bit more. Lance shrugs off his jacket, slinging it over Pidge's purple-covered shoulders. 

 _Katie_. 

"Thanks."

Pidge's head drops a little, Lance restraining himself from stretching his arm and pulling her towards him, to cradle her in his arms. Maybe,  _probably,_ she didn't want that. 

"You look down."

"I'm looking down."

Lance, deadpan, doesn't even respond. Pidge looks tormented for some reason, worried, mad, nostalgic, a blend of a torrent of emotions all in one. 

"What's up?"

"The sky."

Lance's hand rests on Pidge's shoulder, gently pulling her to face him. Jolted, she glances up with wide eyes at him, and Lance suddenly realises the appearance of crystal clear tears in her eyes. Definitely surprised, Lance tenderly brushes the tears off her face, and Pidge just cracks; she starts full-out sobbing, throwing her arms around him and crying. Lance, who had never been in a situation with a crying girl like this, awkwardly hugs her. 

"S-sorry," Pidge says. 

"Now really, Pidge, what's going on?" Pidge pushes off him to start talking, looking a lot more hesitant than Lance hoped for. 

"So...the dancing..." Pidge trails off, not completely coherent. "You might be wondering where I learnt ballroom dancing."

"Uh,  hell yeah I am, you shredded the floor, but you made it sound like it was your worst nightmare!"

"That's because it is!" Pidge nearly yells. Lance's face falls, and she waves her hands in his face. "No, no, sorry, that came out a bit loud...its just that, well, dancing is something I haven't done in a long time. And it brings back a lot of memories."

Pidge leans her back on Lance's right shoulder, not bothering to turn her head to talk to Lance. Really, Pidge had always thought that being able to sit with someone in silence comfortably showed true comfort. One of the things that displays true trust in companionship. 

Pidge's mind flashes back to her in a small dress and small little heeled and strappy shoes, standing eagerly in front of her father and mother with Matt, a little taller and scruffier, by her side. And she watched happily as they waltz across the ballroom, their faces the most loving thing she had ever seen, their dance the most beautiful. It had been pretty funny when Matt tried to dance with Pidge for a number of reasons including whining, height and age differences, and childish skill, but it had also been undeniably fun. 

But after dad disappeared from the family...and after she and Matt had gone their separate ways and Mom was left bitter and alone, Pidge didn't want to dance again. Not that she had particular skill or particularly amazing ability, it was just the memory that came with it.

But Lance...

Lance had brought that back for her. And stunned her, surprised her, shocked her, and made her feel so many things she didn't really know how to describe. 

"I had fun tonight," she settles, breathing out. The cold night was definitely not so cold with Lance by her side, but maybe a bear hug would do better? But maybe Lance didn't want a bear hug?

Pidge relaxes a little more on Lance, with no discernible effect. 

"Me too."

Pidge turns, looking at Lance for a lot longer than was probably socially acceptable. So many things she wants to do...so many...and yet she did none of them. And then she sees Lance's smile, sunny enough to turn the dark night into happy day.

"Wanna dance again?" she laughs out, forcing herself up and turning around. Thankfully, Lance smiles back again, nodding enthusiastically. 

"I'd love to share a dance with the best dancer I've ever met."

He holds out his arm, Pidge taking it and holding it again. 

This time, there's a lot more laughing, stepping on feet and falling and tripping, but it's also more  _real_. 

Illuminated by the stars, the light of the moon shining down on them like the spotlight Lance always sees on Pidge, two silhouettes dance beneath the sky above, not caring about the time and the time spent, not caring about the cold, not caring about tire. 

Only caring about each other.  

And in their final steps, where they laugh because "God, it's probably already tomorrow, let's go in," Pidge starts realising things. Realises how she likes the way he holds her hand or carries her on his back. How he grins, no matter how stupid it looks, how he supports her.

And then it hits her.

Pidge pales, pulling on her hair and trying not to go insane.

She has a crush on Lance McClain.

...oh  _no_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Pidge, it took you quite a while to realise that. Dammit.   
>  I wonder what Lance was thinking?
> 
> If you enjoyed this monster-of-a-chapter, leave a review or kudos and subscribe for updates on the chapters!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) PIdge and Lance have a peaceful sleep but eventful morning (see: nearly pulling clothes off in front of each other, purposely),
> 
> 2) Mrs. Holt and Pidge finally talk,
> 
> 3) Matt Holt reveals something very, very interesting before he says goodbye.
> 
> "Lance McClain was a likable idiot that she kinda liked a little too much, definitely more than her left brain wanted to, less than her right brain wanted to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, Chapter 11!
> 
> JUST WANTED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW THAT I HAVE ADDED TO CHAPTER 1. PLEASE GO READ IT, I FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT AND THAT IT WILL DEEPEN THE STORY SO FAR. (also, hehe, if you have any feedback, write in on Chapter 1 or Chapter 11 here), SORRY I DIDN'T WRITE IT EARLIER. 
> 
> also...
> 
> If anyone wants to cry with me about Hamilton or Heathers, just drop me a message or comment and we could make a chat group! Cry about musicals and Voltron together!
> 
> Love you guys, and happy reading!

Sleeping was peaceful that night. No noise. No interruptions. No kneeing in the boob, much to Pidge's relief (and probably Lance's too, saving him embarassment).

Sometime in the night, Lance wraps his arms around Pidge's torso, snuggling up behind her. Too tired and admittedly, liking it too much to say anything, Pidge lies there, moving into his embrace happily.

Why Lance? Why, why, why, why,  _why?!_ She's a strong, independent woman (girl?) who don't need no man.

Pidge turns to look at Lance, quiet and peaceful and for once, not being obnoxious. No stupid lady-catching smirk or pun escaping his mouth, no joke about her anime glasses.

She kinda...likes it.

Maybe she  _wants_   _one_  man. That's different from  _needing,_ per se.

Pidge knows that out of all people to fall for, Lance wasn't someone that she should. Lance was someone who looked on the surface, on the outside; he looked at the exterior. He normally didn't look past it. Pidge was the opposite, preferring to look inside, and not just for people. For everything. Robots, even. Pidge would prefer to look inside an awesome robot to find out the workings, what made the robot itself, rather than just seeing what colour it was or how pretty it was.

Pidge started out looking for someone unbelievably smart. 

Lance started out looking for someone unbelievably pretty. 

Hell, now that she thought about, she was almost completely different from Lance.

Pidge nearly squirms out of Lance's grasp to wake up, but god, it's just so comfortable. It really shouldn't be, considering the lack of any meat whatsoever on Lance's arms, but that doesn't change the fact that Pidge doesn't want to leave. Pidge doesn't want to leave, in case she can't have it again. 

Oh, shit.

No.

Guess she was stuck in bed for another couple hours.

Pidge knows she has to wake up, get on the train, go to school, but does she want to?

Nope.

She sees Lance's face again, and she reddens.

God, out of all the people to like, why him?

~~~

_Pidge_ _._

_Pidge_ _?_

_Oh, hey,_ _Pidge_ _._

_Lance is gripping her small hand in his, her other on his shoulder and his on her waist._

_Preparation for a dance._

_Pidge_ _is smiling, eyes so sweet and loving, which both scares and excites him at the same time. Beautiful._

_Of course, he wasn't going to capitalise on it now, because he didn't want_ _Pidge_ _to think that he only saw her as beautiful in makeup and a dress._

_Hell,_ _Pidge_ _could be rolling in the mud with pigs and she'd still be beautiful._

_Even if she didn't see it that way._

_But all of a sudden, the scene changes,_ _Pidge_ _collapsing on the grass and Lance darting down with her, holding her._

_"What is it?" he asks, holding her shoulders. Tears start pouring out of her tightly shut eyes._

_"It's-it's-"_

_Suddenly,_ _Pidge_ _starts disappearing, fading away into the background of rose bushes behind her._

_"_ _Pidge_ _?_ _Pidge_ _!"_

_Lance scrambles up,_ _Pidge_ _Gunderson nowhere to be found._

_~~~_

Lance doesn't know what time it is when he wakes up, Pidge's hair tickling his nose. Gee, it kinda smells...nice? Lance doesn't really know how to describe it, not exactly sweet, something natural-smelling? Like a nice forest? Ugh, he's normally good at this.

Lance slowly unwraps his arms from around Pidge, sitting up and brushing her messed-up hair back out of her face with a lazy hand. Pidge rolls around, yawning and blinking her eyes at the light contact. Lance jerks back, always unnerved by how lightly Pidge slept. Suddenly, Pidge's eyes fly open and she rolls over to stare at the clock. 

"SHIT, LANCE!" Pidge screams, shaking Lance hard and shoving off the blankets. "IT'S ALREADY ELEVEN!" 

Lance jolts, launching towards his silenced phone and nearly bursting into hysterics; they were supposed to have gotten on the train six hours ago and gotten back before school started. Shit, shit,  _shit._ Now they were seriously dead; Iverson was going to make sure of it.

"Okay, we gotta skip the bathroom, just get dressed quickly!" Lance yelps, nearly tripping over Pidge's dress. Pidge nearly starts pulling her shirt off, a sight that Lance might, just might have wanted to see, but then she stops, breathing. 

"You know what?"

Lance, covering his face with his shirt just in case, tilts his head to the side to convey confusion. 

"Fuck school."

Pidge's hand falls from the edge of her shirt, growing up and letting her stretch out, shirt riding up a bit. Lance's eyes slowly follow how the shirt rises up, Pidge suddenly looking at him and dropping her arms. Then, she coughs, continuing. 

"Come on, we can come up with an excuse. There was an urgent meeting regarding my family's will for me, and you can just throw up a taco or something, I don't know," Pidge says. "Then we can spend the day doing something interesting."

Lance ponders it, his phone suddenly blinking. 

nicer gordon ramsey: DUDE WHERE ARE YOU?!

Aquaman: Got held up 

Princess: (by Pidge, no doubt)

Matt Skywalker: ^ they're still in their room

Texan Cowboy: You're freaking lucky that Iverson hasn't sniffed you out yet

Pidgeon: Can someone get Lance out of trouble? I've got a letter about my family will and shiz and I'm actually not even lying

Space Dad: Looking out for Lance, I see *winky wink*

Pidgeon: Did you seriously just *winky wink* me?!

nicer gordon ramsey: Ok so in class I'll say that Lance threw up on a taco

Pidgeon: Nice thinking

nicer gordon ramsey: *fist bump*

Pidgeon: *fist bump*

Texan Cowboy: I guess I'll have to forge an MC 

Aquaman: thanks bro

Lance puts down the phone, quickly changing in the corner of the room, not noticing the little inconspicuous glances from Pidge.

Maybe Pidge got so drunk off all that tiramisu that even she, queen of remembering the most randoma and unimportant mundane shit, actually forgot the important mundane shit. Well, who could begrudge that?

"How about we head back and hit up the arcade?" Pidge suggests, shrugging off her shirt while facing the wall, replacing it with a shirt reading "Robots Are Better Than People" (which Lance silently agreed with).

"Are you asking me out, Pidge?" Lance asks, walking closer to Pidge with every word. Lance towers over her, leaning down. Pidge, looking a little flustered, darts out from under his arm and picks up her phone.

nicer gordon ramsey: Iverson's letting you off

Texan Cowboy: lucky bastard

Princess: go on a date with Pidge okay?

nicer gordon ramsey: and Pidge, Iverson says he wants to be in the will

Pidge slams the phone on the bed.

"Okay, we better pack up now," she reminds, looking at the mess on the floor, their clothes scattered on the floor recklessly. God, if someone else saw their room, they might think very suspect thoughts, and that kinda terrified the shit out of both Pidge and Lance. 

"You didn't answer my question," Lance drawls, folding up his clothes and neatly placing them in his bag, zipping it up. That was fast, Pidge thinks. Even faster than her, who likes to unceremoniously stuff everything back in with no organisation whatsoever.

"Eh."

~~~

Lance and Pidge head down the stairs, seeing Matt and Marcus eating at the breakfast table.

Lance's eyes immediately fix on the raven-haired boy who looked too calm eating his Captain Crunch at the table. 

"Well, morning, Katie, Lance," Marcus greets. Lance starts boiling, fists clenching. He quickly shoves his arms behind his back, grinning widely at Marcus.

"Morning," Pidge greets casually, eyeing the peanut butter and bread stack on the table, slinging her duffel on the floor, sitting down beside Matt. Lance pointedly sits next to Pidge, separating her and Marcus.

Breakfast passes quickly and rather silently, mostly because Lance kept on uncomfortably glaring at Marcus, Marcus was intimidated, and Matt was half-dead.

"You know, McClain, I wasn't flirting with your girlfriend, if that's what you think," Marcus says offhandedly. Lance drops his spoon into his cereal, quickly fishing it out as if nothing had happened.

"Uh, you totally were!"

"Your mom told me to see how solid you and Lance were," Marcus turns to Pidge, much to Lance's annoyance. Then he laughs a little, grinning. "I see that you guys make a great couple, that was some pretty great dancing last night!"

Pidge flares red, Lance flares red, and Matt just wants to start laughing really, really hard.

"Well, uh, thanks Marcus," Pidge answers, looking a bit downcast for some reason. She checks with Lance, who seems so damn stunned than he can't even speak.

"Nice to see you finally dating someone," he jokes. "Don't be mad, but your mom suggested I flirt with you to see how you would react. I guess you passed her test," Marcus shrugs apathetically.

"So you were flirting with Pi-Katie!" Lance yelps out, suddenly clapping his hand over his mouth, keeping his steely glare on Marcus. Shaken, Marcus puts his hands up in defense.

"Dude, I'm not into her."

"How do I know you're not lying?!"

"Hello, I'm still here!" Pidge complains loudly, slamming her hand on the table. Lance nods in acknowledgement.

"So?" Lance questions Marcus, squinting close to his face. Marcus frowns, opening his mouth indignantly.

"I'm fucking gay. And ace, if that makes you feel better. No worries, I'm very comfortable being open, just that the circumstances made me less so."

Lance blinks.

Pidge blinks.

Matt blinks.

Marcus deadpans. 

"Oh."

"So yeah, I wasn't flirting with Katie because I wanted to, and it wasn't like it was good flirting anyway," Marcus shrugs. "Anyway, I've got to jet, mom wants to drive home soon."

Lance, Pidge and Matt stare at each other, bewildered. 

"And Lance," Marcus, on the staircase, grabs Lance's attention, "that jealousy drives even more holes in your transparent couple act!" Marcus sings, grinning as innocently as a baby. Then, he skips up the stairs, presumably getting his stuff to leave.

Lance reddens, Matt giving him such a snide smirk that Lance nearly smacks him on the back of his head. Pidge has to stifle her giggles. 

Finishing up the breakfast, Pidge stands up to bring in the plates, stacking them up. 

"Sis, mind getting mine and Lance's?" Matt asks, batting his eyelashes mockingly at Pidge, who rolls her eyes and grunts. 

"Whatever. Just stop that."

Matt doesn't stop. 

As Pidge heads in, ponytail bouncing,  Lance feels a sudden pinch in his side. 

"Ow, what the f-"

Matt tugs Lance by the shirt before he can follow Pidge into the room. Lance follows him, curious and a little nervous, hiding in the corner by the living room.

"Look, I know you guys aren't dating, but I can tell you want that to be the reality," Matt starts off, leaning in closer and whispering, constantly glancing at the kitchen. Before Lance can open his mouth to protest, Matt shushes him with a finger. "Ha, even if you don't realise it, it's pretty obvious you want that."

Lance doesn't know how to respond.

Pidge.

 _Pidge_.

"I was going to be the typical big brother and say that you better not lay a finger on her." Matt huffs, Lance raising an eyebrow. "But I realised that Pidge is stronger, physically and mentally, and she doesn't need me to protect her. She doesn't need me, nerdy weakling, to protect her or to make her choices. Whether she dates you or not, I won't say anything."

Matt adjusts his glasses, puffing out a breath. Then, with the steely gaze of a hawk, Matt stares at Lance.

Oh god, Matt was freaking scary. Matt, the nice guy with a Star Wars obsession rivalling even Pidge and enough knowledge in his head to beat Einstein, was scary. In that one moment, Lance knew what would happen if anyone, anyone ever harmed Pidge. And it would not end well.

"If you choose to love my sister, love her with everything you have. Don't think she can be one of many; my sister's too good for that. If you choose to love her, you  _devote yourself to her_ , do you understand?"

Lance, stunned, nods tightly, mouth sucked in and breath held.

Why the hell was he, at 11:30 in the morning, being called out by nice guys and being threatened about love? Love?

What the fuck?

 All of a sudden, Matt grins, dropping the pyscho-esque stare and patting Lance on the back.

"Just-just be careful with Pidge. Crossing her is like crossing a mother lion, and trust me, I would know."

Lance walks off, taking up both his and Pidge's bag and heads into the kitchen, where Pidge is packing food and supplies to bring home. He nearly squeals when he sees her tipping the whole platter of leftover garlic knots in a tupperware.

"What did Matt talk to you about? How much you suck?" Pidge smirks, tying up the bags and slinging them over her shoulder. Lance shrugs.

"I already can't remember."

"Well," Pidge glances at his arms, "thanks for getting my bags. Now, want to head off?"

"Yeah."

Maybe Matt was making some sense.

Pidge heads off, rambling about how Marcus was a plot twist in so, so many different ways, that it was funny how a total stranger to Lance could already pick up on his total and complete jealously. She rambles about how she also grabbed the cheese dip and would drown the garlic knots in them if Lance pissed her off again.

Maybe it would explain why he looked at her too often, too long than was probably acceptable, thought about her, worried about her opinions (especially about him) a lot more than he normally would, liked spending time with her. Liked seeing her happy, grinning, wanted her in his arms.

Nah...right?

Matt, magically transported to the porch like some kind of Sith god, stands waiting for the duo. First, he gives Pidge a tight hug, saying that 'Yes, I'll miss that robot handbook, and no, I'm not giving you the cable kit no matter how much I love you, sis."

When he releases her from his grip, he turns to both of them.

"Oh yeah, just one thing I forgot to tell you. You should probably talk to Allura about your design," he suggests. Confused, Pidge and Lance glance at each other curiously. 

"Why?" Lance asks. "So I can charm her with my brilliant drawing and awesome brain?"

Pidge whacks him in the arm, earning a high-five from Matt, who shakes his head.

"Her dad was working on some project like this, and she tried to kickstart a robot like this sometime during here tenure at Altea," Matt explains. "She left the year I managed to get in, though, so yeah, get some ideas from her."

Pidge gapes. 

"So you're saying..."

Matt nods, saying a line that Pidge never thought she would hear. Ever.

~~~

Pidge just wants to walk to the train station, because she was a crazy person, but her mother seems to have other ideas. And cue an hour of awkward silence as Mrs.Holt motors them down to the train station in half the time that Space Mom Shiro had deigned to. 

A very...awkward silence. 

Lance, for the love of him, could not figure out why Mrs.Holt seemed so happy. So...warm?

"So, Lance, what are your plans for the future?" Colleen glances in the rearview mirror as she drives. Pidge suddenly wakes up from nodding off, turning to look at her mother with a very befuddled expression. 

"Well, uh, I was hoping to go into some form of architecture maybe? Maybe design?" 

Lance always loved seeing those nice buildings that charity workers put up by his home back in Cuba, the ones that differed so much from the plain but significantly more functional homes he occupied. He observed everything, too. The curve of the waves, the grains of sand, the roundness of Pidge's glasses and her pretty eyes-

Shut up. 

So yeah, he even loved drawing. He loved seeing emotions and ideas everywhere and putting that into what he did, especially what he designed. 

So far, Voltron was looking massively beautiful, the brainchild of Voltron. Ha, who was he kidding, it was the brainchild of the other four. How he even got into Voltron was a freaking mystery. Shiro probably only let him in for his drawing skills, which even then weren't that good compared to a lot of others. Maybe Shiro only let him in because he wanted Pidge, and Pidge had said they were a duo-well, trio, with Hunk. 

"That's nice to hear! I suppose you and Pidge could continue working together in future?" Mrs. Holt grins surreptitiously, making Pidge suspicious as hell. 

Soon, Mrs. Holt parks at the entrance, opening the boot for them and letting Pidge and Lance take their bags out, walking them through the process of buying tickets and everything as if they were still small children. 

"Mom, you know we know how a train works, right?" Pidge complains, wanting to stab something (perhaps herself) if she had to listen to Mom's speech about safety around strangers. Since when did mom really care?

"Lance, boy, be a dear and go get a place in the line for the next train," she requests. The minute Lance leaves, her mother turns to Pidge with such a nostalgic and regret-filled expression that Pidge wants to jump in front of the train. Gah. Feelings? Feelings? Not up her alley. Dealing with family problems most definitely wasn't up her alley. Not with her mom. 

"Ah, mom, you know the train's gonna be pretty empty," Pidge says, looking at the dwindling crowds that headed down the stairs and escalator. "So Lance can just join us over here-"

She's cut off by a hug. Tight. Warm. Motherly. 

Something...

Something she hasn't had for too long. 

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever for?"

Pidge has to cringe at how sarcastic and snarky that comes out, practically programmed speech that reacts to the variable known as 'Mom'. Colleen doesn't care, really, only hugging her tighter. Then, she pushes Pidge a little bit to look at her, a few crystal tears blossoming out of her eyes. 

"I'm sorry that I've been so distant. I'm sorry that I've been cold. I'm sorry I didn't support you."

Pidge doesn't know what to say. An apology?

She and her mom were a lot more similar than she always realised. Stubborn, hot-headed, always believing in her own opinions without fail. And maybe...sucky at love?

"I'm sorry I didn't stick with dad."

Now that was the trigger. Pidge shakes her head furiously, little strands of brown hair flying everywhere, eyes and fists clenched tight. 

Pidge sees the image of divorce papers on the kitchen table, feels the pain she felt when she'd first saw it after an awkward breakfast, the pain that had lessened and diminished when a smiling Lance walked in. 

"It's not your responsibility to stay with someone when neither of you are happy. Even for your-your children."

Goddamnit, now Pidge is sobbing. Her mother pulls her closer, Pidge crying on her shoulder, wetting that nice purple blouse. 

"I didn't expect someone so grown-up to step through that door on the first day. Well," Pidge's mother trails off a little, "you weren't exactly different than usual on the first day. But..."

Her gaze travels to Lance. 

"It's nice to see you've found someone who's made you happy in my absence. I've got that whole dance down on video," she chuckles, Pidge jumping. 

"Oh god, mom, delete that!" she laughs through the tears. God, the tears weren't worth it, she didn't need to cry. Why?! Maybe it was this reassurance that Mom really was Mom and not some shoddily-replaced robot that called her every Sunday with no real substance. Mom was...back?

Pidge hugs her tighter. 

"Not in my life I'm not." 

Pidge laughs. 

Mom laughs. 

Lance smiles from the side. 

~~~

The train ride is even quieter than the car ride. 

Pidge's head spins. 

Who knew that one weekend could have so many changes, revelations? Feelings?!

The train is empty, or at least their car is, the town that Grandma lives in practically for the ghosts; AKA the retirees with old money in their bulging pockets. Lance sits on one of the blue chairs, Pidge resting her head in his lap, laid down across a row of seats that no one was going to use anyway, headphones covering her ears. Lance gently brushes her hair, oblivious to the storm plaguing her head. 

Revelation Number One:

Mom is still Mom. 

Mom is getting divorced...

Mom can't be called Mrs. Holt anymore. 

Revelation Number Two:

Lance McClain was a damn idiot

Lance McClain was a likable idiot. 

Lance McClain was a likable idiot that she kinda liked a little too much, definitely more than her left brain wanted to, less than her right brain wanted to. 

Revelation Number Three:

Pidge recalls Matt's words, eyes closed and clenched, brain clinging to every last letter in his sentences. 

_"Her dad was working on some project like this, and she tried to_ _kickstart_ _a robot like this sometime during here tenure at_ _Altea_ _," Matt explains. "She left the year I managed to get in, though, so yeah, get some ideas from her."_

_Pidge_ _gapes._

_"So you're saying..."_

_Matt nods, saying a line that_ _Pidge_ _never thought she would hear. Ever._

_"_ _Allura_ _is the ex-president of_ _Voltron_ _, outvoted and removed by_ _Zarkon_ _."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. and that it tied up the Family Meeting plotline to its closure. 
> 
> Also, yep, I wish I could keep Marcus in the narrative but I have no place for him right now *sweats*
> 
> I wonder what will happen, now that the two dumbasses have found out that they have a thing for each other ;-) ;-) ;-)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Allura blows up, but greatly helps Lance and Pidge after a lot of screaming,
> 
> 2) Keith can't hold it in anymore,
> 
> 3) Our dear boy Lance makes too many assumptions to be healthy for him.
> 
> "It's the fact that I know-I know it could someday become love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYEE sorry this took so long :-D
> 
> I think I've been spending too much time drawing crappy fanart than developing this fic, but here you go!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this, I threw in a bit more emotional storyline into this chapter, have fun!

"Shouldn't you two be in school?" Allura asks, putting down cups in front of them, taking a seat with them. The cafe was spectacularly empty today, the slightly later hour contributing greatly to that, probably. Lance and Pidge, with all the bravado of investigators on a procedural crime show, fold their arms and lean back in their chairs. Allura raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you be designing and building robots?" Pidge says, returning the look. Lance gives her a shit-eating grin.

Allura blinks once, twice, then immediately gets up and grabs her phone along with her, face turning from faerie princess into some kind of hell-possessed demon goddess. Then, she furiously stabs her finger on her phone screen.

"MATTHEW HOLT!" 

Coran sarcastically stuffs tissue in his ears, making hand gestures at Lance and Pidge from behind the coffee machine, the row of glasses behind him shaking from the vibrations.

"So you just tell them?! Oh, so now you're just going around and telling people everything I don't want them to know?!"

Suddenly, as Matt says something, she freezes, dropping the yelling and her face growing stunned.

Allura puts down the phone slowly, her princess demeanor immediately returning when she sits back down on her chair, greeting a frozen Lance and a terrified Pidge.  

"Blueprint please!"

Lance, not wanting to evoke the wrath of demon-version Allura, immediately pulls the blueprint out of his bag. 

"See, Princess, you can thank this guy for the impeccable drawings-" 

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this new microbot design?" Allura picks up the blueprint, ignoring Lance, examining it from every angle. "I'm sad."

"Aw, don't be, Princess-"

Pidge kicks his shin under the table, cutting in. 

"What was your design? And your father's? We've got a few problems we've got to fix before we can use this, so your input is appreciated."

Allura grins, eyes sparkling excitedly. Pidge...didn't really take Allura for the robotics type. Maybe she'd be the one driving it, but leading the club? That was pretty damn cool, Pidge had to admit. But why hadn't she gone further with it? Why was she serving coffee in a hipster coffee shop with Coran, ginger extraordinaire that seemed to protect Allura like a father?

Also, where the hell did the British accent come from?

"Honestly, I'm quite stunned by the pure similarities between this and the previous design," Allura remarks. "I see this one's a lot more thought out in terms of the actual logistics of how the bots will connect up from five pieces into one bigger, more powerful one, I see..." Allura cups her chin in her hand, scanning the blueprint. 

"You know," she starts, eyes looking up at the signage of the cafe. "There's a reason why this place is named 'The Lion Hideaway'..." Allura trails off. "You see...the original design featured five lion robots that combined into one mega robot. We never named it, but Voltron was usually a joked-about contender."

Lance wonders who the hell suggested making lion robots.  _Lion_. Why not cats, dogs, or yanno, sharks? (okay, Pidge, sharks are sea animals. Shaddup. They're still majorly awesome). Why not a freaking hippo?! But yeah, five lions did sound reasonably badass. 

"The lion robots each had powerful designs to allow for strength and maneuverability. The lion paws allowed for good grip and the tail was something I liked to say would be used to hit people in the face with," Allura giggles a little, face suddenly falling straight after. "Well, it did never get built...but I imagined each robot to have their own special 'thing'. Like a power, or even a personality of sorts?" 

"How would Voltron have been formed though? The microbot technology is formidable, but how would a whole team manage to just suddenly turn the robots into one robot?" Pidge questions, eyes drifting upwards, hands fiddling. Allura's eyes brighten noticeably.

"You know that little kid from big Hero 6?"

"Hiro Hamada, Allura , Hiro Hamada-"

"Of course  _you_ would nitpick on that, Pidge," Lance scoffs. Pidge, pink, glares at Lance.

"What's that supposed to-"

"So basically," Allura cuts in, looking extremely awkward sitting between the two, "whatever the boy-"

"-Hiro-"

"-gosh, Pidge-"

"-you two sound like an old married couple," Allura mutters, groaning annoyedly. Lance and Pidge shift their glares to Allura, who nearly jumps out of her seat. She coughs, closing her eyes and continuing on. 

"When Hiro," Allura looks at Pidge, who preens, "thinks or wants something to happen, then it happens with the microbots. Same concept. Use the neurotransmitter on each controller of Voltron, so that means five people. If all five will Voltron to form, then Voltron will form. It's like the transmitter requires the same or similar signals in order to carry out the command."

Oh...

That actually made a lot more sense. But that sounded difficult. Sounded like it needed a lot of teamwork, co-operation, like you needed to know your teammates and their thoughts all the time. Forming it non-verbally could be a big advantage, without the opposition knowing.

But seriously, lions?

Pidge pulls out her notebook, scribbling notes and complicated formulas and bullet points that Lance needed to squint at to even read. Then, she holds in up for Allura to read, who squeals happily and gives PIdge an eager hi-five. Pidge laughs, grinning. 

Lance can't help but smile, seeing his two favourite ladies so happy. 

~~~

Pidge and Lance quietly tiptoe their way through the hallway, back to back, eyes peeled open for any sign of Iverson, because Iverson finding them would be  _really really fucking bad._

Pidge accidentally steps back too far, trodding on Lance's toes.

"ACK!"

"Shut up!"

"You're the one that stepped on me!"

Suddenly, the bickering duo notice the grins and surprised, maybe a little stunned faces of three certain people.

"You're back!" Hunk jumps on Lance, throwing his arms around him in a big, Hunk™ bearhug. Lance hugs him back, Pidge awkwardly standing there. Shiro picks Pidge up, making her scream and cringe.

"Shiro! Put me down!"

"Nup."

Keith just scoffs, smiling a little at the scene from the back.

"You serious?"

"WHO'S THERE YELLING?!"

Shiro drops Pidge.

"Sorry!" he whisper-screeches. Pidge shoots him a bitchface.

"Shi-!"

Lance muffles her with his hand, helping her back up and scurrying around the corner with Hunk and Keith.

"WHO'S THERE?!"

"Shit, Iverson!"

Suddenly, a lot of students wonder why the popular Shiro, generally quiet and emo Keith, cafeteria-intern Hunk, blabber mouth Lance, and that small brainchild Pidge in the senior classes all start running down the hallway together at top speed.

~~~

The quad of Altea is nice and green, something Pidge greatly appreciates; people litter the area, talking, relaxing and breathing a sigh of relief that the dreaded Monday was finally over. Voltron Robotics, crowded together, sit on the bleachers, eyes directed to the football players throwing balls and the cheerleaders throwing  _each other._

"So you're-you're telling me freaking Allura was the ex-president of Voltron?!" Keith nearly yells. Shiro, stunned, and for once at a loss for words, just sits by.

"Uh, yeah, those were my literal words," Pidge drawls, lips wrapped around her juice box straw, rolling her eyes. Keith retreats, scowling and snorting in the corner. Shiro doesn't fail to notice this, raising an eyebrow. 

"What's up?"

" _Nothing_." Keith sounds way too defensive for it to be 'nothing'.

Hunk, Lance and Pidge all turn to each other, shooting each other such a myriad of looks.

LANCE: Boy is thiiiiirsty

PIDGE: You don't say

HUNK: Shiro doesn't actually have the hots for Allura, right?

LANCE: How can anyone not have the hots for Allura?

Pidge whacks Lance in the arm, suddenly taking on an expression rather reminiscent of a certain mullet-donning boy, sulking. Hunk bursts out into voracious laughter, startling, surprising and confusing the four. 

"God, you guys are really trying to kill me with all this pining," he chokes out, laughs suddenly sounding a lot more macabre and 'not-Hunk' than they had earlier. 

"Huh?"

"Nothing."'

"So, we've got to hold the Mario Kart thing like in a couple weeks right?" Pidge points out. "We can finish the design and I can start working on the programming for the challenges, provided that I know we can pay for this shit."

Keith nods. "I've already blown my cash on popcorn. Salty, just like me."

"Dumbass, we all know caramel is the most popular," Lance corrects, much to Keith's annoyance. 

"Well, anyway, you should get rid of the dildos and shit you two use before we invite fifty people into your bedroom." Pidge sucks up the rest of her juice box, perfectly throwing it into the bin, ignoring Keith's appalled look and Shiro's strangely...guilty face?!

"And yeah, Keith, ditch the knives. We don't want to pay medical charges for someone who sits on one."

"I don't want strangers' asses on my pillow!"

"You already have Shiro's ass on your pillow!" Pidge and Lance nearly scream on unison.

Keith turns as red as his jacket, steam blowing out of his ears. He stands up, nearly pushing Hunk. Then, Keith storms away, his stomps louder than the cheers of the cheerleaders down below. 

Pidge gets up, shucking off her purple cotton cardigan and dropping it nearby Lance. 

"Stay here, I'm going to see what's wrong," Pidge says, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Lance raises his eyebrows, shrugging.

Why did Pidge want to go off and be alone with Keith?

Pidge starts running off, little feet making little sounds as she sprints off to follow the slow-footed Keith. Lance and Hunk stay behind, not wanting to invoke Keith's wrath and not wanting to piss off Pidge through not listening to her.

~~~

Keith storms into his room, swinging the door behind him. 

Wait. 

Why wasn't there a thump?

He turns to the door, seeing Pidge Gunderson standing there, illuminated by the light of the hallway, Keith a recluse in the darkness of his room. 

"Keith-"

"Pidge, please leave." Keith puts his effort into trying 

"I shouldn't have teased you so much," she says, face apologetic, for possibly the first time Keith has known her. 

Pidge Gunderson. 

How can such a sharp girl be so smart, yet so dumb? Oblivious?

"Is that an apology I hear?" Keith cracks a small smile. Pidge scoffs, smiling back.  She heads further into the room, sitting on the bed beside Keith. 

"Don't go telling people, I don't want my reputation ruined," she jokes. Keith reclines again, sighing. 

"Now, really, what's up?" 

"It's-well, I don't know." Keith stammers. "I think-I think it's Shiro."

Pidge nearly facepalms. 

"Like, maybe I'm allergic to his new shampoo? It wasn't always like this, but when I'm around him, especially close to him, I go all red and something itches, and my heart stops beating for a moment-"

Pidge stares at Keith, mouth a thin line and eyes squinted. 

"What?"

Pidge sighs. 

"You're in love."

Keith rolls his eyes. 

"Yeah, put it that way, why don't you?"

Keith doesn't know how to feel, especially with Takashi Shirogane. God, he was a legend, wasn't he? Loved by all, even the people that usually hated all, idolized by all. Everybody wanted him either as a friend (or a fuck, Keith realises bitterly) but he somehow stayed nice and grounded through all that. He even refused to use this popularity for the good of Voltron. 

He was...impossible. 

Keith doesn't know how to feel. 

Keith doesn't know how to feel. 

"I kind of understand how you feel. Confused, baffled, in denial?" Pidge's voice sounds unsteady, questions, treading on a thin line. 

"...yeah," Keith admits. 

"For the record, I'm pretty sure that Shiro doesn't know it," Pidge laughs. "Boy's as oblivious as a brick."

"How do you know how I-I feel? And I think I've felt like this for a really, really long time now and I've never realised it, how?" Keith questions. "And it's totally not like you're hopelessly in love with a certain someone."

Pidge, disgruntled, whacks a mournful Keith on his mullet, sighing and keeping her hands back with herself. 

"I wouldn't use the word love."

"Neither would I, but that's how you seem to think of me," Keith bites back. Pidge rolls her eyes again. 

"I'm serious. He's-maybe, just-just maybe, I might like him, definitely more as a friend, but love? Love isn't something that comes with a schoolgirl crush. Love isn't something you buy with five dates and a box of chocolate."

Pidge looks down at the ground. 

"I don't love him, but the like isn't what scares me."

Keith's mouth parts a little. 

"It's the fact that I know-I know it could someday become love."

Pidge pales. What was all this coming out of her mouth? Lies to comfort Keith? Lies to help herself?

The truth she couldn't, simply couldn't keep in?

"Well, sorry for that rant," Pidge apologises, wiping a few stray tears off Keith's face. "Don't cry."

"Ha, inspirational. I don't want to cry either. It's not worth the tears."

"And here I thought that I was supposed to be the one comforting you," Pidge chokes out. 

"You've already done that. Somewhat. In your own, strange, and slightly rude Pidge way."

"Hey!"

"Still not retracting that."

"Hey!"

~~~

Lance has to jump away from the slightly open door crack when he hears the footsteps approaching.

Pidge's words keep on echoing in his head, ringing, and ringing, and ringing. 

_"It's the fact that I know-I know it could someday become love."_

As he hears the two laughing casually, stupid grins on their faces as they laugh about how Mr. Thace whacked Shiro or something, Lance fidgets and fidgets and fidgets.

_So what's it gonna be?_

For Pidge, it was obviously Keith.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a kudos if you enjoyed reading, and a comment so we can cry about the pining kids' pain in the comment threads! :-D :-D


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Pidge is (too much of) a night owl,
> 
> 2) Lance perenially tucks Pidge into bed,
> 
> 3) Movie Night the Sequel featuring Bicentennial Man. 
> 
> "Draw me like one of your French girls,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slightly too long wait, I took a trip for an orchestra collaboration! (I'm a violinist :-D)  
> Enjoy this chapter, many apologies for the too-cliche ending. 
> 
> aLSO, MORE NEWS:  
> Me and Mclanchez-dictionary (on tumblr) are pairing up for the Rarepair Big Bang, where we'll be creating an illustrated Pidgance fanfiction for all of you to enjoy! Go follow her, appreciate her art, and bear with me if this project might take up more of my time (sorry!).
> 
> Happy reading!

The week of the fundraiser promises to be very, very...chaotic. Especially because of the number of people interested in the illegal betting. Turns out that the prim and proper Altea wasn't so prim and proper after all. Even some of the best students, including even good girl  _Shay_ , wanted to have a piece of the action. Keith looked like he was ready to hang himself the second his eyes fell on the list of participants. Shiro said he was taking a week vacation back to Japan, dammit.

Hunk was just excited to be making the snacks and cuddle up with Shay in the room.

Pidge nearly wants to cry, buying up soaps and all kinds of (probably) useless shit that she said 'would protect her precious controllers from idiots with sweaty hands'. Lance had responded, saying she had the sweatiest hands that he'd ever seen, greeted with a kick to the knee.

Now, Pidge sits in her room, spinning in her chair, staring at her computer with the steely eyes of a hunter. Coffee on the desk, loose clothes hanging off her wiry frame, books scattered on the desk messily, some half-opened and a few stained with various food items (which Hunk would cry over), Pidge doesn't even try being neat anymore.

"We haven't even started building Voltron yet."

Pidge jumps out of her chair, seeing Lance's annoying face hovering right above her shoulder. She resists the urge to headbutt him, settling for standing up and making a sassy and somewhat pissed face at him.

"How exactly did you get in my room?" Pidge pulls up another chair beside hers, letting him sit beside her. Lance's eyes flit between the door, Pidge, and the massive wall of coding displayed on her computer, long legs settling down on the small chair.

"You left it open." He looks guilty, looks like he's remembering something for a moment. "You should really stop doing that. I closed it already."

"I did? Huh. I didn't notice." Pidge yawns, sitting back down in her chair and leaning her head on Lance's tiredly. "Maybe I was too busy with this shit in front of me." She gestures to the computer, sighing. Lance squints at it, pinned down by a tired Pidgeon. Pidge pushes her glasses up after they start falling off her face.

"PIDGE IS DOING THE ANIME-"

Pidge head butts Lance, too tired to feel the pain or think about any consequences. Lance rubs his head, annoyed. Pidge grins, smirking back at him, lying her head back down on his shoulder.

"You're missing a semicolon there. Just saying."

PIdge's eyes snap open, hands flying to the keyboard.

"Where?!" she exclaims, eyes shooting to Lance for answers.

Lance points, and she legitimately slaps herself on the head, wincing a little bit. "Goddamn..."

She presses a single key, falling back on Lance.

From Lance's view, it looked like she was trying to start the coding for the second challenge. Pidge was obviously the best at coding in the team, second to none, Hunk probably being the closest to her in terms of ability. Sure, Lance had some basic ability, but all this? Not up his alley.

Maybe...

Lance looks at the code again, immediately spotting hundreds of mistakes. For someone as creative and skilled as Pidge, she wasn't exactly good at paying attention to really small details; she was more hasty than patient, especially when on a deadline. Then, he looks back at Pidge, seeing so many indications of sleeplessness; puffy eyes, dark circles, hooded eyes, pale skin, limp body, cups of instant coffee littered around. In the few days that he had spent catching up on work and not paying attention to her, she'd started fading off from work, of all things. God, he'd have to have a spa session with her soon. Maybe a sugar scrub?

Lance cracks his fingers, nimbly maneuvering the keyboard to press keys and fix the mistakes. A typo, incorrect syntax, a whole missing word. Somehow, he manages to edit half the code without Pidge fidgeting and without tiring.

Pidge, now quite firmly asleep on his shoulder, snuggles closer, head nuzzling close to his neck. Lance likes it, whether Pidge is consciously doing that or not.

Lance can't help but smile a little.

But...ever since the family get-together, Pidge was...a little different. Sure, she was still that same tech-genius, snarky, tomboyish girl that he'd met in the Garrison, but she was also a little different somehow. She was...softer? Lance didn't know how to describe it.

But she said she had feelings for someone. Pidge.  _Pidge_. Pidge having feelings for someone. Even describing those feelings as having the potential to become love.

Who was this mystery person?!

Lance rubs his shoulders, tired, and a little worried.

Whoever that guy was...he sure was pretty lucky. Lucky to have the admiration of someone like Pidge, someone who was so powerful and intelligent and sprightly and funny and sarcastic...they sure were lucky.

Lucky that they didn't have to pine from a distance.

Lance always tried flirting as a meager way of trying to get girls, and some boys, admittedly. He'd tried it on people who were all the same, people who didn't care or know him, people who looked at the surface.

So how was he supposed to charm someone so different like Pidge?

Lance gets up, gently removing Pidge's head and taking hold of her legs, carrying her bridal-style to her bed. He places her down gently, pulling a blanket over her to cover her small form.

"So what's it gonna be?" Lance quietly echoes the song that played during their dance, the following lyric bursting to come from his mouth, but as usual, Lance McClain was too chicken to say it.

_I wanna be with you._

At least his princess would get some sleep now.

Lance heads out of the room, sighing and stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets.

~~~

"Make sure to turn in all your Calculus 1 worksheets by Friday," Mr. Thace reminds, waving his hands dismissively to a throng of high-energy students waiting to run out. Shiro, Keith and Pidge jump out of their seats, grabbing their books and almost making it out the door.

Autumn was approaching soon, as was the contest, which would lead to the promise of Christmas and winter days for fun, white snow and hot cocoa and snuggling up with friends and lovers. Most people were excited at the mere notion.

Pidge wasn't really that into Christmas. She was a spring person, more into the green trees and fields to sit in and scribble ideas into her notebook.

The only good thing about Christmas, probably, was that it gave her the excuse of being a recluse and being solitary indoors. And the presents, of course.

"Shiro!"

A girl, very bouncy and sweet-looking, sidles up to Shiro holding an invitation in her hands, decorated with way too much red and green for her liking. Pidge and Keith, from the corner, witness the whole scene.

Pidge doesn't miss how Keith's jaw clenches

"H-Hey, Shiro," she says, shyly twirling her auburn locks around her finger. Shiro smiles, the same kind one that he gives literally everyone. The girl must mistake it as Shiro giving in to her not-so-subtle advances, turning on flirt-mode even higher.

"Uh, hey?" her voice goes annoyingly high pitched, but it doesn't seem malicious, at the least.

"Just wanted to give you an invite to my Christmas-New Years party. It's going to be awesome, fireworks, dancing...alcohol," she huskily whispers the last one, leaning in closer. Pidge slams an arm over Keith, holding him back as subtly as she could as more students filter out in front of them, Shiro's gaze flickering from Keith back to the girl. Shiro, not knowing how to react, blinks fast, prosthetic hand reaching for the invitation warily.

"Okay...could I get another four invites?"

"Depends. Who are they?" Mystery Senior Girl suddenly turns cold, cocking her hip. Shiro follows suit.

"Friends that I wouldn't go without."

His stare either intimidates or seduces her into giving more invites, because she wordlessly hands Shiro another four invitations and leaves with a flirty wink and blown kiss. The second she leaves, Keith strides up to Shiro and snatches an invitation out of his hand, eyes peeled and scanning every line.

"You sure? Looks like a stupid party."

"Or," Pidge wiggles her eyebrows suggestively at Keith, much to his chagrin, "an opportunity..."

"Ha ha, very funny." Keith rolls his eyes, messing up Pidge's hair like an older brother. "You're one to talk!"

"Am I missing something...?" Shiro asks, raising one eyebrow confusedly.

"Nope!" Of course, the two look way too guilty for it to be nothing, but Shiro isn't always perceptive like that.

"Sure...now, Pidge, give those two to Lance and Hunk, and keep one for yourself," Shiro instructs, passing Pidge three invites. She shrugs.

"Fine."

As they walk out of the class, Pidge doesn't miss a second of Keith staring at Shiro with wounded eyes.

~~~

The bell rings, and Pidge hurries out to luckily spot Lance and Hunk milling about in the hallway. Of course, she glares a little, seeing Lance smile and shoot his 'best lines' to some of the seniors. Quickly, before he manages to flirt with one that actually seems interested, Pidge hustles her way in front, slamming her hand on the locker that Lance was leaned on.

"Here."

Lance reddens at the sight of this Pidge, which immediately wards off the other girl.

Pidge smirks, satisfied.

Pidge hands the invitations to Lance and Hunk. Curious, Lance rips his open, doing away with the pretty envelope.

"Oh, a Christmas slash New Year's party?" Lance grins foolishly, pointing to himself proudly. "Well, looks like the ladies were just waiting for me to come-!"

Hunk glares at Lance, who nearly immediately drops the pose.

"Nah, Shiro got us the invites."

Pidge cringes internally at the thought of a bunch of girls swarming Lance as he walked into a party. Goddamn, that wasn't happening.

What if it did happen, though?

Considering the fact that the party (after some research, Pidge found out it was one of the largest in the school) was after the Robotics competition. What if they won? What if that catapulted them to popularity?!

_Aw hell no._

"Earth to Pidge!" Lance obnoxiously waves his hand in her face, causing Pidge to blink out of surprise.

"Do ya mind if I pop over to collect the Wii and stick it in Shiro's TV?" he asks, yawning a little, later gesturing towards Pidge's room. Hunk laughs, a hidden meaning behind the chuckles.

"What, so you can do-"

Lance, somehow even more furiously red, claps his hand over a gleeful Hunk, playing with his fingers and struggling to hold in his laughter. Lance coughs, shooting a look at Hunk.

"C'mon, Pidge, let's just do it during lunch so we can kick back for Movie Night today," Lance yawns, stretching his arms behind him. Pidge shrugs apathetically, nodding her head in the direction of the dorms and starts to walk.

"Why are you so tired? Doesn't Lance McClain 'always get his eight hours of beauty sleep?" Pidge mimes, making air quotes. Lance huffs.

"I had stuff to do."

Hunk nearly bursts out laughing again.

"What, Pi-?"

"-HUNK!"

~~~  
"Since I so kindly contributed my priceless Wii to Takashi Shirogane and Keith Kogane, I suggest that they KINDLY HOST MOVIE NIGHT THIS TIME."

Pidge throws open the door, not caring about the noise, almost flopping down on Shiro's bed, but-

"HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOUR ROOM IS EVEN COLDER THAN BEFORE?!" Pidge hollers, jumping into Hunk, who immediately provides warmth. Lance follows suit, the two stealing his bear hug, much to Keith's jealousy.

"Uh, Keith may or may not have stabbed the A/C remote so that it's now permanently stuck at that temperature?" Shiro's voice squeaks, trying not to invoke the wrath of three pissed children and a ticked-off roommate.

"One thing: you guys are  _fucking screwed_  for the winter."

Pidge chuckles, launching herself onto Shiro's bed and landing perfectly.

"Draw me like one of your French girls," she teases, voice lowering and eyes fixing on Lance. What was definitely meant as a joke hits him hard, taking a step backward.

"Ugh, I was just kidding, no need to go all red," Pidge raises an eyebrow, falling back on the bed. "It's just me."

"Just you? Baby, you're as hot as the original Rose yourself," Lance remarks with his usually flirtatious smirk and voice. Pidge rolls her eyes, unable to hide the grin that follows.

"C'mon, Jack," she tuts, curling one finger very suggestively. Lance grins, the two of them bursting out into hysterical laughter.

"Uh, hey, guys, you know we're still here right?" Hunk raises a hand. "'cause I totally didn't need to see that display."

Shiro and Keith nod in silent agreement, Keith tucking his phone with a bright image on it under his folded arm.

Pidge rolls her eyes. "It's just jokes," she defends, Lance sitting down next to her. Then, before she realised, Lance's hands start tickling her, prodding her sides, causing peaks of laughter from both sides, Lance careful not to let his hands  and fingers slip under the loose graphic tee or gym shorts Pidge donned for the night. The other three uncomfortably slide into their places, Shiro flicking the television on.

"Wait, seriously?" Pidge adjusts her glasses and squints at the TV, slamming her nails into Lance's arm before he says anything. "Are we seriously watching Bicentennial Man AGAIN?!"

Shiro shrugs, putting on his best innocent face before the rest of the team (excluding Hunk, who liked 'Little Miss') go to wring his neck for playing the movie for possibly the thousandth time.

"I thought it might help with the programming?" Shiro tries, smiling his best at Pidge, who sucks in a deep breath as if she were counting to ten. 

"Shiro, I am programming a robot to bot-fight and overcome obstacles right now."

"And you have to make them autonomously able to help the human race," Shiro reminds, a shit-eating grin not commonly seen on him painted on his face. 

"Pidge can do that without watching Bicentennial Man! Or at least she can watch it without us!" Keith protests from behind Shiro, walking over and jumping on his own bed. 

Shiro sighs, diverting his eyes to Hunk.

Cue Hunk-signature puppy eyes.

And in five seconds, everyone was lying down, cuddled in layers of blankets and groaning as a certain humanoid Andrew appears on screen.

"What's your problem with this film?" Shiro questions, and Pidge can see that Shiro's already immersed in the film, eyes glazed over and stuff. Pidge wonders why.

Maybe it's because he feels an affinity for the robot-human? Pidge looks at Shiro's hand, marking the possibility.

God, the room really was cold, wasn't it? Even the comforter Keith had to lent her wasn't enough to stop her from shivering and clattering her teeth. God, that boy really had to stop knife-throwing, Pidge made a mental reminder to-

Slowly, from behind her, Lance wraps her arms around her torso, and Pidge can immediately feel the warmth blossoming (for a number of reasons, one being that Lance was perennially a human furnace). It was calming, actually, even when Lance put his face nearly right beside hers, rubbing his hands on her torso a bit, warming her even more. Ahh...Pidge can't stop the happy sigh that escapes her mouth.

"Mm, I guess you're so cold because you're the coolest, " Lance whispers with his joking flirtatious tone, watching as the Martin family adjust to having a humanoid robot drifting around the house.

"I've got a cold heart," Pidge hisses back, grinning. It's no surprise when Lance pouts, eliciting a few chuckled from Pidge.

The Bicentennial Man, a film that was particularly loved by Shiro and Hunk, was something that Pidge, Keith and Lance had a little more trouble warming up to. Especially when they think about how Andrew became a human. Kinda creepy. But yeah, sure, the whole love story thing was cute.

Surprisingly, as the film progresses, Pidge actually becomes somewhat enraptured with the film, not looking at the popcorn when she pops it in her mouth. Lance's arms stay put, the duo leaning back a bit, Pidge on his lap, which is surprisingly comfortable.  
Really...quite...comfortable.

It would be nice, having Pidge like this more often.

Pidge on his lap.

Wasn't that a normal thing? Like  _their_ friend thing?

Maybe it was the way that Pidge smiles at him that made him melt a little inside (and probably on the outside too, but Lance couldn't tell). Maybe it was how she wasn't afraid to argue or back down, how she wasn't afraid of herself, and how she used her brains for that.

To Lance, th-that's hotter than any long legs or shapely figure.

Pidge shifts, wiggling her butt a little and reclining her head beside Lance's, her small hands resting on his, locked around her waist. The little movement is enough to make Lance flush up.

Lance wasn't really sure why all of a sudden, he was seeing Pidge as something different. Not just a friend.

_So what's it gonna be?!_

Lance shakes his head a little, clearing his mind and watching the film.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance spies Keith and Shiro on one bed, imitating Pidge and Lance with less success, because they looked a lot more awkward and a lot less comfortable. Lance turns and sticks out his tongue at Keith, who returns the sentiment sarcastically from the opposite side of the room.

The film passes, the room a lot more silent, especially because Andrew the robot was just declared to be Andrew the human, the first bicentennial man, lying beside his beloved Portia, old and grey like him.

Amazingly enough, Lance feels somewhat interested in the film by the end. Maybe it wasn't too bad. Maybe that love story wasn't too bad after all.

Pidge yawns, lying down properly on top of Lance without a second thought. Hunk picks up his phone, lazily reaching an arm up while sitting on the carpet, managing to snap a badly angled picture.

"Cheese..." he mumbles, and in ten seconds the phone drops, and in twenty, Hunk falls deep asleep.

The cute couple opposite to Lance and Pidge fall asleep, Shiro's human arm wrapped around him. Lance grimaces,thinking about how Shiro was so...so stereotypically straight sometimes. Not that it was a bad thing, but it threw Keith off sometimes. Made him hurt more.

Well, Lance could say that he understood how Keith felt, thinking that he would never have a chance.

After all, as usual, he was never going to be good enough for Pidge, right? Especially since she liked someone. Not Keith. But she had been telling him about it.

Lance sighs, looking down at Pidge, laid down on him and looking gentle without her usual fiery smirk and quips escaping her mouth. Hands clenched, head right over his heart, Lance brushes her hair out of her face. playing with it a little, liking the feeling. He slips off her glasses and places them on the nightstand.

Well...

If he couldn't ever be that person for her in the long run, at least he could be there for her now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro have something in store very, very soon...
> 
> PS: If anyone could get this promoted or rec this to anyone, anywhere, I would be super super happy and grateful!!!  
> PPS: If anyone wants to beta or draw for this, I've got an open inbox!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Kinky and non-kinky cosplays feature in the Mario Kart tournaments,
> 
> 2) Pink lingerie. End of story.
> 
> 3) Keith finally talks to Shiro.
> 
> "I feel like whipping out my banana."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAIIIIII
> 
> I am so sorry this took so long, I was busy working on the rarepair bang (excuses, excuses I know) so I kinda had to neglect this one for a while...? 
> 
> This is a helluva important chapter though, so make sure you give it a good,good read!
> 
> Happy reading!

Pidge laughs, twirling around in her green Luigi outfit. Pretty much everyone had forced her into being Luigi, which was also not something she technically abhorred.

"Ooh la la!" Lance raises an eyebrow, reclined on Pidge's bed, donning a Mario outfit ("ha, ha Hunk, so funny..."). The players had requested Mario cosplay from the gang and so they had provided in hopes of appealing well to get more money, the gang getting ready for the tournament starting in a few hours.

Lance stands up, swapping his hat with Pidge's, grinning broadly, fiddling with her hair just so and getting it right. They circle each other, making faces of approval at the other's costume. Pidge squints, raising an eyebrow and moving closer to Lance, nearly pressed up against him, adjusting his rather askew outfit. And of course, he picks that time to flare red. Of course.

In three seconds, Lance notices where Pidge's eyes fall, a smirk growing on her face and panic infecting his own.

"Did you eat a magic mushroom, or are you just happy to see me?" she drawls, looking up at Lance with a sneaky smirk and half-lidded eyes.

Holy shit.

Did Pidge just...drop a pickup line? While looking like that?!

 _Unfair_.

Lance, obviously the King of Pickup Lines, for once can't think of a way to bite back with it.

Oh god.

Red, and stammering, and a little nervous, because no one has ever actually responded to Lance before, he rubs the back of his neck and looks at the ground.

He doesn't see Pidge dropping the confident face, a shocked and very flustered one replacing it.

"Uh-um-well, we better go to the room now. The day is starting," Lance chokes out, not daring to look at Pidge, who chooses to look at Lance curiously.

"You make it sound like we're going to school, Lance," Pidge complains, crossing her arms. "We're going to a damn Mario Kart tournament, so act like it."

"Aww, okay, Pidgey-poo, oh my god we're going to an illegal Mario Kart tournament! I can't believe it! So cool!" Lance bats his eyes, one hand over his heart and the other fanning himself. Pidge groans, smacking him on the head.

"Ow!"

"Let's go, Mario."

"Ooooh, that rhymed-!"

"OH MY LORD LANCE!"

~~~

Meanwhile, Keith and Shiro wait in their room for the trio, getting ready in their outfits too.

"Why am I doing this?" Shiro groans, stuffing his face in his hands.   
Keith chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck under his mullet.   
Keith can't help but admire Shiro, a sight for sore eyes in his tight fitting, short skirted Princess Peach outfit; the dress clutches at him, pink and short sleeves with a little crown adorning the floof of hair he has.

Really, Shiro looks hotter than he ever has.

Damn...that ass-

"Because you love me," Keith jokes, laughing quietly at the sight that was Takashi Shirogane. Shiro pulls at his sleeves uncomfortably, looking more apprehensive than ever.

"Yeah, I sure do, don't I?" Shiro laughs along. "You're possibly the only person who could get me into this getup."

Keith blinks once, twice.

Did Shiro just agree to that?

Keith shakes his head once, twice.

He did, didn't he?

Oh god.

Keith does his best to not show how much he was inwardly freaking out, replacing it with a nervous chuckle.

"Hey, at least you're not wearing a mushroom head," Keith reminds, pointing to the crown jewel of his toad cosplay, a beautifully painted red and white mushroom head. This gets Shiro a little less nervous, his laughter relaxing him somewhat.

"Okay, fine, but you're not squeezed into a pink short skirt. Pink's an awesome colour and all, but..."

Yeah, Keith has already noticed how the strip of pink fabric barely covers his ass.

"WHAT'S UP MOTHERFUC-"

"OHMIGOD, LANCE, NO-"

Lance and Pidge steamroll into the room, nearly breaking down the door. Pidge almost lands on top of Lance in her effort to beat him into the room.

"My god, guys, don't you ever do anything without breaking something?" Shiro asks, raising his eyebrows at the teenagers sprawled on the floor.

"Sorry, dad," they apologise in union, Keith cracking up at Shiro's facial expression.

"Looking good, Shiro!" Lance exclaims, bursting into laughter with Pidge, not because of the outfit bit because of Shiro's reaction. He nods, making a face and resisting the urge to flip Lance off.

"Now that we have the pair of lovebirds, where's Hunk?" Shiro quickly changes the subject, pretending to be interested in the door.

Lance grabs Pidge the second he sees her ready to jump out at Shiro, face furious (and furiously red?).

"I almost had him!"

"No, no you didn't," Shiro and Lance remind, chuckling at Pidge's shenanigans. She lets out a big sigh, completely and hundred percent done.

"Hunk says he's coming with Shay because he dropped off everything already in here," Pidge says, pushing up her glasses, askew from the activity. "As to where in here, I don't know."

Keith groans visibly, whipping around and tapping his feet, showing clear annoyance.

"I swear to god...he actually..." he mutters under his breath, eyebrows scrunched up. Suddenly, Shiro flushes bright red, running to a cabinet and standing in front of it.

"What is so secretive?" Pidge demands, dodging past Keith and towards Shiro. Shiro spreads out his limbs, smiling oh so innocently at Pidge and Lance, who glare suspiciously.

"What's in that drawer?"

"Noothingggggg," Shiro draws out. Keith simply groans, walking to Shiro and shamelessly swinging the cabinet door open, long arm darting in and retrieving a very, very large bag, chock-full of food supplies courtesy of Hunk. Before Pidge can snatch inside, Keith slams the cabinet shut.

"You're freaking welcome, Shiro."

"Ooh, Shiro hiding some dirty secrets? Lance teases, he and Pidge smirking together at him. Shiro blushes, tugging on his skirt.

"No..."

LANCE: Pidge, you distract Sheith, I'll get the cabinet. Shiro looks so nervous, it's got to be good.

PIDGE: On it.

"So, have you discussed your safe sex, it doesn't matter that you're m/m, you still need condoms-"

"-Pidge, what the fuck?" Keith says quietly, raising an eyebrow, subconsciously moving closer to Shiro. Pidge shrugs, not even letting her eyes dart over to a tiptoeing Lance as she prattles on about the dangers and STI's and everything, Shiro looking progressively more and more like he was ready to regurgitate his dinner. Pidge nonchalantly glances at her watch, seeing that they had twenty minutes before the tournament began. Meanwhile, Lance makes it to the cabinet, inching it open and haphazardly ("Oh god no, Lance...") jabbing his hand in, pulling out-

"A BUNCH OF HOT PINK LINGERIE?!"

Lance nearly drops the mess of gaudily-, throwing it over to Pidge, who treats it like a hot potato, throwing it over to Keith, who juggles it awkwardly in his glove-covered hands.

"SHIRO?!" Keith tosses it over to Shiro, who catches it and holds it, face brighter than the lingerie itself. Keith's eyes bounce from Shiro, to the lingerie, to Shiro, and suddenly, Keith is making conclusions.

"You told me you were hiding lube in there!" he shrieks, quickly after clapping his hand over his mouth. Shit. Shit. Keith Kogane is not a blabbermouth, Keith Kogane is not a loose-lips, Keith Kogane does not shriek, Keith Kogane does not show jealousy, Keith Kogane does not do any of that.

Ha.

It all happened, all at the same time, in that one millisecond.

Lance pauses, the silence in the room growing increasingly awkward, as Lance, Pidge and Shiro judge the sudden outburst, and Lance and Pidge judge the sudden underwear appearance. Keith, meanwhile, makes even more connections, mind jumping from place to place.

Wait, was Shiro fucking someone?

Fuck.

FUCK.

"Shiro, why exactly do you have hot pink underwear in a cabinet and you lied about it to me?" Keith asks, breathing in as calmly as he could, trying not to go ballistic. Shiro rubs the back of his neck, shrugging. Keith never thought he'd see such a sight, Shiro being impure for once, not saying anything while wearing a Princess Peach outfit.

No, Keith, don't look at the ass.

"I'm not sleeping with anyone, if that's what you're thinking." Shiro defensively puts his hands up, much to Pidge's entertainment.

"How do I know you're not?!" Keith nearly starts yelling, face growing closer to Shiro's out of pure instinct. Shiro's eyebrows narrow, furrowing, eyes squinting and mouth pinched. Keith seems so aggressive, which while was admittedly not uncommon, was uncommon to be directed to Shiro, Pidge observes.

How...strange...Pidge rolls her eyes and whispers in Lance's ear.

"They are the most thirsty fucks I know, and I know you."

Lance pauses for a moment, trying to digest the information, when it suddenly clicks.

"Hey!"

Shiro takes in a deep breath, rubbing his forehead, something he tended to do to keep calm. And Shiro was almost always calm.

He sighs, gently plucking the lingerie out of Keith's fingers and putting the it back in the cabinet.

"Just for your information, that was the extra from this costume. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to find Hunk."

Shiro, sounding a lot more standoffish and irritated than he would, shakes his hands with nervous energy and heads out the room.

Awkwardly, the trio left behind stare at each other.

"God, Kogane, you are the biggest tsundere I've ever met," Lance raises his eyebrows with dulled, judgemental eyes, Pidge nodding in assent. Keith groans, actually face-planting on his bed, grabbing at his mullet in frustration.

"Hey, Lance, do you mind getting me my Robotics manual from my room?" Pidge asks, haphazardly throwing Lance the keys. He shrugs, heading out the door, Pidge sitting down beside him.

"He kind of said he loves me," Keith mumbles, voice muffled.

"What? Didn't catch that under the layers of emo pining," Pidge scoffs, looking at Keith, deadpan. He looks up, grimacing, and Pidge sighs apologetically.

"Sorry. But seriously, I didn't hear that."

"I joked that he was wearing that outfit because he loved me." Keith gets up, eyes fixing on Pidge. She nods, beckoning for him continue. "He agreed. He agreed, Pidge."

Of course he did. Lance would probably never agree if she were to say that. Shiro was a sweetheart, a pissed off sweetheart walking down dorm hall in a sexy Princess Peach outfit.

That was a weird thought.

"Pidge?"

"Uh-yes."

"What do you think?"

Keith looks at her hopefully, pretty eyes wide and sparkling. Pidge gulps on air, eyes wide, not out of hope but out of worry.

Takashi Shirogane was treading a very, very fine line.

"I think what you think."

God, Pidge, that was so lame. Sooooo lame. I think what you think?! Keith flops down on the bed face down, letting out a massive groan.

"So you think he only said that as a friend, then," Keith moans. Pidge jumps, literally hops off the bed, shaking her hands in his face.

"No! No, no, Keith...what I'm trying to say is trust your instincts. I mean, you seem to do that perfectly fine on your own," Pidge remarks thoughtfully, greeted by another outstanding groan from Keith.

"Like, I'm not sure if that was an insult or compliment, but thank you," he says, with an air of confusion. Keith sits up.

"I've probably scared him off."

Pidge awkwardly pats him on the back, eyes flitting everywhere in the room to save herself from the pining Keith. It scared her.

Geez, was she like this about Lance?

It scared her.

Pidge missed the days where she was sure of everything. Where she knew everything. Where x was x and y was y, not where x might be something else that wasn't x. Where everyone one was factual.

Now, she was living in an era where Keith and Shiro were locked in a  cycle of mutual pining, Voltron may have to battle one of the top robotics clubs in the nation, and, well...she may just have a thing for her best friends.

Well, that sucked.

Shiro comes back in, beckoning in Bowser-sorry, Hunk-and Shay, smiling as brightly at usual. Lance follows in right after.

"Whoops, Pidge, I couldn't find your manual," he apologises, mock bowing to her, plopping down right beside her. She nearly giggles.

"Ha, sorry, I just realised I had it with me!"

Lance scowls, leaning on Pidge with all his weight, which causes her to collapse on Keith, who nearly jumps off the bed in terror.

Shay waves, hopping closer to the bunch, dressed in a shirt decorated with a plethora of gaming sigils, ears circled with large studs and arms wrapped around Bowser-sorry, Hunk.

"Hey guys!" she glances around, not showing her notice of the tense situation in the room. "Hunk said I could come early and help out if I wanted, so here I am!"

Pidge almost feels bad, seeing Shay's unwavering enthusiasm. Amazing, really, how the girl was able to stay like that all the time.

"Uh, well, Shay, do you maybe just want to hang out? We've pretty much set everything up, from the Wii to the food system-"

Keith and Shiro shoot a glare at Hunk, who smiles and wraps his arms around Shay, who snuggles into his embrace. Pidge has to struggle to not show a reaction. Cute, but sappy. Hunk rolls his eyes at seeing Pidge's face, as if saying 'Look at yourself, are you serious?'

Pidge notices Lance's arm coiled around hers with a start. 

God, was she really that oblivious to Lance nowadays? Maybe she needed to wake up a bit. 

Shay grabs the plastic bag, arranging the food stuffs in a neat row in a flash, perfectly lined up for public consumption on the counter table. She also slightly, slightly adjusts the mats designated for the players, labeled 1, 2, 3 and 4 so that they were perfectly organised, completely fair.

...wow. 

Pidge guesses that the room really wasn't ready before. 

Before, it looked like a tornado with a Wii. 

Now, it looked like professional competition venue, all because Shay rearranged and added shit in only around five minutes. Hunk holds Shay's waist, kissing on the cheek, to which she giggles, kissing him on his cheek too. 

Something in Pidge stings, and she glances over at Keith, seeing a similar pained expression undeniably painted on his as well. 

"So," Hunk says, "When's the tournament starting?"

~~~

Shit.

_Shit._

Lance frantically runs around the room, trying to juggle cash in one hand and bags of popcorn in the other, trying to serve a very demanding and loud crowd, Hunk's hands flying to reorganise the food to fill the orders. Keith, looking as if he were about to throw up from the smell filling his room, holds the plate for the betting pool.

Pidge, meanwhile, is trying her best to boom the rules and regulations, as well as how the betting works and how if anyone tattled, Shiro with the powerful prosthetic arm would come for them. Not that Shiro would, but you know, insurance is good. That wasn't working particularly well, also, considering the style of dress that Shiro is currently squeezed in (which many girls, and many boys, liked seeing).

Lance would tease her for needing to stand on a table to address the crowd, but he's too busy, and well...teasing Pidge is fun, but not so fun anymore?

It's strange, really, how he's gone from liking to piss her off to wanting to hold her in his arms and kiss her right there, to protect her and for her to he happy, if she could be, with him.

Ha.

Like anyone would be happy with him. Like many had, including Pidge, it had been pointed out that no one would ever date him, would like him.

And of course, goddamn Keith Kogane just had to charm her at the same time as he pines for the distantly hot Shiro. Why does she always talk to him quietly in rooms on a bed, purposely making it so they were alone together? Pidge surely knew that Keith did not love her or anything, that his eyes were set on Shiro. Surely, Pidge wouldn't like him, she's smart.

To hell with that.

Keith Kogane always had to lord over him in everything he did.

"Lance. Lance!" Hunk gives him a gentle knock, tossing probably fifty bags of popcorn to him with perfect precision. Lance groans, tossing them to people and going around to collect cash.

Meanwhile, Keith makes sure that the four competitors for the first round goes smoothly.

Lance sees people screaming support or heckles to the people they liked or disliked, Shiro and Keith consistently going around with the betting pool, making good time with collecting money. It seemed that they could get the funding fast, according to Pidge's calculations. Keith did say to "leave the math to Pidge."

Lance watches from the side as four fierce competitors in the last group of the night, Narti, Ezor, Zethrid and Acxa battling it out in Ghost Town. Zethrid starts screaming, wondering why her brute-force approach isn't working. Meanwhile, Acxa and Ezor purposefully knock each other into the walls, making Zethrid even nuttier.

"I SWEAR TO GOD, ACZA-"

"Aren't you an atheist, Zeth?" Ezor laughs, gracefully maneuvering through the maze. Zethrid growls, Acxa-and the crowd-laughing. In retribution, Zethrid fires a green shell at Acxa, who shakes her controller and scowls. Ezor grins, unopposed, speeding ahead.

They reach the final lap, and people are cheering for Ezor, Acxa and Zethrid constantly at each other's necks. Money starts flying in the room, cheers so loud that Lance plugs his ear, interested in the race.

The hype in the room ups to its peak, Keith frantically trying organise the increasing betting, money nearly sliding off the plate. Shiro, meanwhile, is being dragged by some girl down into the crowd.

Ezor smirks, the finish line right in front of her-

Wait.

 _Wait_.

Ezor isn't the first to cross.

_Narti_ _._

Narti, with her very impaired vision (which she never used as an excuse or let drag her down) just dragged three amazing Mario Kart players and won herself a lot, lot of money (but of course, Voltron made more profit)

The crowd is silent for a while, realising how much money most had lost.

This, of course, is because no one was going to bet on the one with the most disadvantage. The disabled.

Acxa cheers, throwing down the controller, clapping happily for Narti, shamelessly throwing around glares until people clap as well.

Keith nearly starts crying at the amount of money to reorganise, dumping a large amount on Narti's lap and a few notes for the other three. She bows slightly, collecting the money and leaving her seat, Acxa, Zethrid following suit.

The crowd starts screaming as the four leave with their spoils, laughing with their arms slung around each other. Pidge likes that friendship, so casual with each other. Reminds her of what Voltron has.

God, if only her family were as solid.

Pidge, in the corner, wipes away a stray tear, thinking of the image of the divorce papers. The image that was forever imprinted in her head, of papers left haphazardly in the kitchen for her eyes to see.

The image of divorce papers, papers meaning that her four-person family wouldn't have that relationship anymore.

That got her thinking.

Did she want Lance because she truly did, or because she wanted some replacement of her broken family?

"Pidge!"

Shiro shakes her a little on the shoulder, seeming as if he had been calling her for a while now. Pidge nods, looking up at Shiro. He gestures to the player seats, seeing Keith, Lance and Hunk all seated.

Wait, what?!

"Pidge, I don't know why, but the crowd is demanding a round with you four," Shiro whisper hisses, looking a little worried. Scratch that, very worried. Pidge figures that it's because without them, Shiro is stuck filling snack orders, betting placements and pretty much keeping the room under control.

Time to die, Shiro.

Pidge sits down in the fourth spot, greeted by cheers from the crowd. What the hell?

That's never happened before.

Before Pidge knows it, she's off, driving Luigi through the route with ease, Lance, Keith and Hunk on her tail.

The betting must be interesting.

Lance takes the first race, Pidge quickly hijacking the second race. Onto the third.

Shiro nearly drops the money, wiping his brow.

Pidge's heart races, going through an icy land that was so damn slippery, Luigi's kart having problems turning and gripping. Lance,playing as Mario as per usual, seems to have similar problems.

"Hey Pidge," he whispers, leaning over to her just so. "It's so slippery here, I think I'm going to fall for you."

In response, Pidge silently turns sharply, forcing Lance to turn and avoid her, slipping and falling off the edge.

"Heh." Pidge smirks. Lance groans, pouting and folding his arms as he waits to respawn.

Onto the final lap, and Pidge races ahead without abandon, speeding and using all the power ups she had to destroy Keith and Hunk, at one point red-shelling Keith and dropping a banana peel for Hunk. Quickly, she hits another box and gets another banana, much to her surprise. Smirking happily, she's prepared to win, so close that she feels brave enough to talk and lose focus for a moment. 

"Hey, Lance." Pidge ever-so-slightly leans over to Lance, grinning cheekily, eyes still glued to the television screen. 

"Mhmm?" Lance glances over to her for a second.

Pidge nods gently to the screen so that he notices her power-up, his eyes widening. That's mainly because Lance is literally right behind her, and at their speed the banana could slow him down enough to lose. 

"I feel like whipping out my banana."

Lance's normally tan face flares red, hand dropping the controller and Mario swerving haywire, the crowd's sounds a mixture of happy screams and disappointed sighs. Lance yells loudly, startling everyone, throwing down the controller and burying his face in his hands. The vroom of the cars make Lance look up, seeing how Pidge still had a little, little way to go. 

"You feel like whipping out your banana? Well, looks like I'm whipping mine out too," he says, with his sultriest voice, eyes half-lidded. Lance throws a wink Pidge's way. 

Pidge jolts, the controller jolting with her and Pidge falling off the track immediately. 

"NO, NOOOO!" Pidge groans, throwing her face into her hands and flinging the controller over the room. Numerous people groan along with her, muttering about 'their prize horse disappointing.'

Keith ends up winning, speeding through the finish line with Hunk a close second, to a few people's cheers, and to many other's mournful groans, many of them getting up and leaving to close the night. 

"Thank you for coming around, stop by for other nights to spectate or compete!" Shiro yells, a few scattered 'awesome!' and 'thank you' coming from around the emptying room. Soon after, with numerous bills dropped haphazardly on the ground and Hunk prowling the room to collect them, the five are left alone. 

"Well, gang, looks like we may have enough to kickstart building the robot.

"Bye!" Shiro exclaims, not so nicely shoving Hunk, Lance and Pidge out of the room, Keith turning to Shiro with some kind of hungry expression being the last thing that the trio see as the door closes. 

What the hell?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When can I write the next chapter? *evil writer laughs*
> 
> CUE THE SHEITH FEELS  
> Have fun with everything you guys are up to!  
> -HunterWizard


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Monopoly is, as usual, the destroyer of friendships,
> 
> 2) A certain mullet-donning teen flashbacks to the best few hours of his life,
> 
> 3) Chaotic supply shopping ensues.
> 
> "Because, Pidge, a hot Princess Peach just smacked on me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihihihi
> 
> This chapter was really fun to write!
> 
> (I'm really hoping that you guys like it but I'm amazingly nervous about publishing this at the same time gsus)
> 
> Happy reading!

By right, they really should have gone to sleep, but after Hunk invites Pidge over to their dorm room to waste the night playing board games on the hard floor of the dorm, shit starts going down.

"I FUCKING SLAMMED YOU, HUNK, YOU CAN'T DENY IT!" Pidge screeches, close to flipping over the Monopoly board. Hunk scoffs, but he's never really been good at lying anyway.

"Lance, didn't I win?" Hunk questions, turning slightly to Lance and raising an eyebrow, Lance the only one noticing the subtle smirk.

Dammit, Hunk.

Pidge glares at him while he also undergoes heavy pressure from one Hunk Garret, smiling and grinning at him like the sunshiny person he was.

If he chose Hunk, he would be truly upholding the Bro Code and being the best friend that he was.

However, if he chose Pidge, he would avoid a grudge that could be held for a very, very long time, and avoid being banned from Pidge's room.

Before Lance makes a decision that could go terribly either way, a sharp knock sounds from the door, Lance quickly (and gratefully) bolting up to open it.

Keith.

"Hey," Lance starts, looking at a bedraggled Keith standing in the hallway, inviting him in. "Uh..."

When he walks in the room, Hunk and Pidge have similar, gaping expressions, Keith looking like a combination of euphoric and  _high._

"Keith, why the hell are you covered in pink lipstick?"

Pidge raises an eyebrow. Keith smirks.

"Because, Pidge, a hot Princess Peach just smacked on me."

~A FEW... HOURS EARLIER~

 

 

Keith knew that now was a really, really bad time. It was.

But he couldn't hide it anymore, dammit! He couldn't just leave Shiro all these weird signs of jealousy, angry behaviour, without explaining himself.

Well...

Maybe...

He could just run away?

He could just prolong it a little, little longer?

"Keith, what is it?" Shiro questions, looking at him with something he couldn't quite place. Curiosity? Interest?

"What is what?" Keith tries to sound innocent, which evidently doesn't work.

"Keith." Shiro paces the room with large strides, but his steely eyes never leave Keith's, which terrifies and amuses him all in one. Keith struggles to hide a smile.

"What?" he chokes out. 

"I just want to ask you something," Shiro states, ruffling the front of his white-dyed hair, eyebrows furrowed. Keith nods, beckoning him.

"Why do you act so strange around me nowadays?"

Shit.

 _Shit_.

Keith sits on his bed, folding his arms. Shiro flops down on his own bed, landing on his back, letting his arms swing out over the bed.

"I do?"

Haha, such feigned ignorance. Keith knows perfectly how badly he'd been behaving. Jealous, rude, selfish. Everything.

"I don't know, maybe I'm seeing things, but you don't look at me as often-"

Keith does look, but never when Shiro is looking too.

"-Everytime someone talks to me, you lash out or something, I don't know..."

Keith's eyes shift.

"You just seem more aggressive, or something, I don't know? I don't know what it means."

"Neither do I, frankly."

"There you go again."

Keith sighs loudly, placing a hand on his forehead and turning to face Shiro.

Before he can speak, Shiro starts mumbling in a rather not-Shiro manner, muttering all sorts of things under his breath. But Keith's ears filter "Just when I thought I was getting somewhere..."

Getting somewhere?

Romantic, platonic? Hard to know. It's always hard to know with Shiro.

"Getting somewhere?" he echoes, raising an eyebrow and walking closer to Shiro's bed, hoping...just hoping...

"Getting somewhere with you, Keith."

Keith's head snaps, eyes fly open, hand nearly flies over his heart. Tentatively, he speaks, softening and moving a little closer.

"You mean..."

Shiro bites his bottom lip, nodding.

"It's been a long time. I like the way you laugh, that fond smile of yours, how you work, how you don't take shit from anyone, how you seem so tough and sharp on the outside but you're really not...we've spent so much of our life together, haven't we?" Shiro rambles, listing them off, his eyes never leaving Keith's wide ones, shining with little tears that he would never admit to having.

It all starts flashing by.

How Shiro was Keith's welcoming buddy in the Garrison, when he walked in for the first time in second year.

How they became best friends, never separated, roommates for years and never changing.

How Shiro protected Keith every single day, protecting him from the jeers of homophobia and cruelty. Protected him from people who tried to control how people felt, felt that they could dictate the laws of nature and God. 

How Keith had cradled Shiro in his arms in their second year in Altea as he'd cried his eyes out, never daring to look at his stump of an arm. Crying about the people who'd recklessly stolen his arm, destroying him.

Keith has quickly gotten him his prosthetic. Gotten him the white dye for his hair that he'd always wanted but never dared to buy.

The day that Keith gave him the arm, he thinks, was the day that knew that Shiro was the biggest person in his life. Well, at the time, he wasn't comfortable with who he was, didn't realise it was more than friendship, but...how he saw the way he lit up so damn much when he saw the arm, throwing his arm around Keith and hugging him, crying lightly...

Keith never wanted to see Shiro so upset,  _destroyed_ , ever again.

Keith wakes back up to reality, the reality where he's leaning over Shiro, so close to him.

Shiro's eyes half-lidded and eyelashes so damn beautiful, Keith just wants to kiss him right there.

So Keith does, leaning down slowly over him, making sure Shiro wants it, pressing his lips to Shiro's as gently as a butterfly lands. Keith would say it's everything he's ever wanted, but it really isn't. He wasn't seeking Shiro on him, kissing him...and possibly more than that...he was seeking Shiro  _loving him back._

Oh god, where were they going from here? Keith did truly care about Shiro, and he knows Shiro feels the same...but is Shiro comfortable with dating? Does he even want to date?

Keith pulls away, blinking.

Shiro smiles, and holy shit, it's so soft and sweet that Keith nearly collapses.

"Shiro?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I was only acting like that because I was...jealous." Keith struggles to choke out the last word, causing Shiro to burst out into voracious laughter, clutching at his stomach. Keith lightly smacks him, chuckling lightly too.

"You? Jealous? I can't believe this!" Shiro exclaims, with a voice unnaturally (and unusually) saturated in sarcasm, mockingly pulling at his short hair, just to make Keith smile a little more.

"Oh god, just shut up and kiss me already!" Keith laughs.

Shiro stops abruptly, smile falling off his face. Suddenly, Keith feels like he's done an irreversible wrong, heart nearly falling into his stomach. Then, all of a sudden, Shiro smirks, so different from his usual smile.

"Rule number one, no touching me."

Shiro pulls a small tube of lipstick off his drawer, snapping it open and painting it on.

"Rule number two, no talking."

Holy shit, was this still Shiro? Shiro seductively walks over to Keith, who's seated on the edge of Shiro's bed, placing one knee right beside him.

"Rule number three...I like you a lot, Keith."

Oh.

_Oh._

For some reason, that last statement is the one that makes Keith flare as red as his favourite jacket, cheeks tinged with the rose colour of embarrassment. Shiro chuckles at the reaction, a fond smile on his face.

"I uh-I really like you too." Keith can't stop himself from stammering, his hands from trembling with anticipation, excitement, and happiness. Sounds crazy, but it's the case. "Um, also, that's a statement, not a rule."

"We're the best at confessing, aren't we?" Shiro says offhandedly, completely ignoring Keith's latter statement. He climbs his other knee beside Keith's leg, propping himself up on the bed and his face hovering over Keith's.

"Obviously," Keith snickers, raising an eyebrow at Shiro. Shiro moves down, pressing his lips to Keith's, something that neither think they're going to ever get enough. Intoxicating. Addictive.

Not because of the pleasure it bbut of the comfort it brings, knowing they have someone to trust, someone to love.

And when things move along, clothing stripping off, the damn Princess Peach dress staying on the whole time, Keith only has one thought in his mind.

Keith loves it.

"Hey, Shiro?" he asks at some point, he can't remember when, probably looking up at Shiro like he was the sun.

"Yeah?"

"It would really suck to lose you."

Shiro smiles.

"It would really suck to lose you too."

~BACK TO THE PRESENT~

Pidge, Hunk and Lance stare at Keith, gaping, jaws dropped and eyes blown wide from surprise.

"Did you fuck him?" Pidge finally says, after a moment of silence. Lance jumps, clapping his mouth over Pidge's, who glares at Lance and slaps it off.

"You have no tact, Pidge," Hunk playfully tuts, greeted with his monopoly piece to the head. Lance and Hunk, destroyed, pout while Pidge interrogates Keith.

"You fucked Shiro? Or Shiro fucked you?" Pidge reiterates even louder, rolling her eyes. Keith chokes on air, a stupidly large grin growing on his face, streaks of colour on his face, hands rubbing the back of his neck (his mullet?).

"You totally did!" Lance exclaims, closely peering at Keith's expressions. He rubs the back of his hand on his cheek subconsciously, leaving a streak of bright pink behind.

"I actually didn't, but okay," Keith takes the opportunity to smirk, folding his arms and making a face at Lance. "At least I've gotten somewhere with my crush..."

The implications are not lost on both Lance and Pidge.

Lance nearly lunges to strangle Keith. Pidge, meanwhile, furrows her eyebrows and frowns, adjusting her glasses and looking down at her crossed legs.

"So...you guys dating now?" Hunk asks playfully. Keith frowns a little bit, eyes trailing downwards.

"I don't know."

"Obviously they are! Have you ever seen two people who pined so damn hard for each other?" Pidge enunciates loudly, returning back to her former self, shaking Keith by the shoulders and glaring at him.

She doesn't understand why Keith and Hunk roll their eyes at each other, but she continues on.

"Look, the three of us-and like, the whole Calculus class and your year group-have been tearing our hair out. Did you two cavemen know that #sheith was trending for three whole days on the school network?!"

Keith grimaces, messing up his hair and groaning.

"I had no idea."

"As usual," Lance cuts in, earning a growl from Keith.

"Well, it was fun bursting in on you guys, but I've got to get back in-"

"Shiro's ass?"

"Pidge!"

~~~

After the fundraising, Shiro immediately sends the team on shopping spree, hitting up all the hardware shops in the state. Pidge hates shopping usually, but there's something intrinsically fascinating and satisfying about shopping for hardware.  Maybe she was just hardwired to like hardware shopping from all those trips last time with Dad and Matt.

"You think we should get this pack, or this one with more value?" Pidge asks Lance, holding a bagged pack of bolts, peering curiously at it. Lance shrugs.

"Whatever. Get the better one," he suggests, uninterested. His part of the job was to design and operate the robot. Nowhere did engineering fall within those parameters. Pidge huffs, tossing the cheaper bag in the trolley that she pushes.

"Hey!" Lance exclaims.

"We're on a budget, and it's almost the same price, okay?" Pidge reasons, pursing her lips at a slightly insolent Lance. 

It's Lance's turn to huff, folding his arms in and turning.

"Fine, whatever, not like my opinion matters much when it comes to the smart people side of things," Lance mutters quietly, not meant for anyone's ears (as usual).

Pidge freezes, arms tensing and eyes flying wide open. Suddenly, she jolts to face Lance, cringing and facepalming all in one.

"Jesus, Lance, it's a bag of damn nails!" She points at the bag sharply, frowning harder than she should be.

"Never mind," Lance mutters again, if only to appease Pidge. 

"Just-just don't think that your opinion doesn't matter. It does," Pidge states, still tense as she turns back to the trolley and wheels out, effortlessly flying through the wide aisles, enjoying the abundance of space in x, y and z directions.

Lance suddenly has an idea.

Slowly, carefully, he watches how Pidge walks and how Pidge talks. Well, really, he's been doing that the whole time he's met her, except now he's noting how shaped and slim her legs look-

Lance.

No.

Trying his best to shove those thoughts out of his mind (and failing miserably), Lance observes her enough and bends his knees down.

He leaps, hands flying next to Pidge's on the trolley handle, throwing all his weight on his hands and the plastic handlebar, his legs leaving the floor.

"ah-laNCE?!" Pidge screams hysterically. Her feet sweep off the floor, Pidge not even daring to look back at Lance as they suddenly speed forward through aisles, past annoyed customers and workers, and Pidge has to pray that she won't lose balance. The only good thing about all this shit is that Lance's hands shift to hold hers as they experience total chaos...caused by Lance!

Shit.

Is that the cashier up ahead?

"AHHHH!!!!!" They both scream in unison, their impeding doom quickly approaching.

BOOM.

The trolley flies out from under their hands, crashing into the counter, their spoils spilling out and hitting the ground hard.

Pidge, meanwhile, somehow lands right on top of Lance, her legs straddling his waist, face centimeters away from his.

"Uh-um-oh god," she stutters, in a very un-Pidge manner, blinking with wide eyes. Lance tries not to think about how her nerd shirt hangs low at this angle, his face tickled by the cotton, her cargo shorts scratching his skin...he focuses on the freckles dotting her face, the brain under the surface, the personality. Anything to keep his mind distracted.

And most of all, he prays to god that he doesn't get a boner.

"Looks like a few lovebirds just decided to crash the party. Literally," Keith drawls, rolling his eyes with an amused smile.

"What are you talking about, fucking newlywed?" Pidge drawls, raising an eyebrow sassily. Shiro and Keith both redden at the same time, an amusing sight for everyone. 

Now, people mutter in annoyance and groan at the sight of teenagers with too much time on their hands messing up the queue and system. Typical. 

Just to be funny, Keith arches his neck up to peck Shiro on the lips, Shiro providing the team with a shit-eating grin that eats at Lance and Pidge both. Hunk, obviously, has no problems, just grinning happily for the happy couple.

Pidge can't help but wish she could project that much happiness for her friends who deserved to finally get together. Maybe she'd been hoping that she would get there first. 

Love is another competition?

Perhaps.

"Uh, guys..."

Suddenly, Hunk  starts twiddling his thumbs at the sight of the tall, bulky and unhappy manager, who starts storming over with clenched fists and clenched face. Pidge hops off Lance (she'd honestly forgotten that she had been still sitting on him the whole time), agile, ready to jet off. 

Survival instincts exist for a reason, you know?

"YOU DAMN KIDS DESTROYING MY WAREHOUSE-"

The team pales. 

"OH SHIT!"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about time they got together. 
> 
> In further news, I'm also doing Inktober this month (rip me, I have too many projects...) and I did Keith for Day 2! If you want to see (In the rare case anyone wants to) just drop me a message or comment here. 
> 
> Comments are appreciated, once again! 
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed!!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) The team reacts very happily to the news; Allura is a bit of a fangirl
> 
> 2) Keith: "Can those two idiots stop fake-flirting in front of me even when they want it to be real flirting like its really fucking annoying"
> 
> Lance: "Keith, ya ever heard of a joke?"
> 
> 3) The team finally gets to work on constructing Voltron (yippee!)
> 
> "Princess: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...I think Voltron Season 4 just killed me. Legitimately. (Did I unintentionally write Mallura into this before Mallura was even a thing? Holy shit)
> 
> Sorry for being late with the updates, I'm actually travelling right now. 
> 
> Happy reading, friends!

**GROUP CHAT: VOLTRON+ALLURA+MATT**

Princess: ARE YOU SRS PIDGE OMG

Pidgeon: YES

Princess: MY SHIPPER HEART

Princess: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT

Texan Cowboy: wtf

Texan Cowboy: no

Matt Skywalker: ALLURA I FEEL YOU

Princess: yeah boii

Matt Skywalker: yeah boii

Aquaman: *insert finger in hole emoji here*

nicer gordon ramsey: laNCE NO

Pidgeon: lolol

Space Dad: Who corrupted Pidge

Matt Skywalker: me probably

Space Dad: :-/

Pidgeon: look who's talking

Princess: bahaha

Space Dad: I'm not following

Aquaman: she means what you two do in your bedroom lol

nicer gordon ramsey: is no one here pure except me?

Texan Cowboy: I heard you say fuck once

Aquaman: *gasp*

Pidgeon: :-O

Princess: Hunk!

Space Dad: I thought better of you, son

nicer gordon ramsey: I did not!

Texan Cowboy: lies

nicer gordon ramsey: well, just because I say the first syllable of it because the canteen ran out of enchiladas doesn't mean it counts

Pidge: fuck is one syllable long

nicer gordon ramsey: Pidge

nicer gordon ramsey: no

nicer gordon ramsey: okay yes

Space Dad: Who uploaded that picture of me and Keith captioned "congratulations lovebirds!"to the school server?!?!?! The school server that only teachers can upload to?? And why are there so many comments??

Aquaman: who do you think???

nicer gordon ramsey: ...

Space Dad: PIDGE

Texan Cowboy: PIDGE

Pidgeon: sorry dads

Princess:...BAHAHAHAHA

~~~

Pidge couldn't believe that it was actually hot. Like, considering the time of year, it wasn't supposed to be hot! It was supposed to be go away summer, hello fall!  Pidge was supposed to be able to wear oversized sweaters and curl up in her room alone (or, ya know, curled up in someone's arms...that would be nice...)

So, obviously, Pidge was dressed in shorts and a tank top to combat the sweltering heat, sweating buckets in the unconditioned workshop, the scenery outside completely contrasting to what was inside. Hunk was of course working with Shay in the lunchroom on duty, a job that Pidge never understood the desirability of. Food was good, but touching other people's germ contaminated leftovers? Nah.

Pidge wipes her brow, hefting a large stack of steel sheets over to the center table to measure dimensions. Hell, where's Shiro? Why is she, the coder, doing the work?

"Jesus, Pidge, you need help?" Keith asks, raising an eyebrow at the scrawny girl hefting up more weight than it looked like she could carry.

"N-no, I'm good..." Pidge chokes out. Keith nearly laughs, knowing that one poke from him could topple her. Sure, Pidge was strong, but how strong exactly?

"Just dump it here already, dammit," Keith scoffs. Pidge somehow still manages to kick his shin, beads of sweat flying off her as her foot makes contact.

"You're only holding two blueprints, dumbass!"

Pidge, annoyed, dumps her load on the desk.

"Ugh, Pidge, do you do martial arts or something?" Keith mutters under his breath, dumping his blueprints on the center desk.

"I'm a natural."

Keith sighs, knowing he hit a nerve, wiping off the sweat from his brow and walking over to Pidge.

"Sorry."

She shrugs, turning to the metal and lazily tracing lines.

"You know, I barely know how to talk to him anymore," Pidge says. "We have the normal conversation, but I can't help wanting it to be more?" She ends on a high note, unsure, pursing her lips and watching as her slim finger trails an imaginary line.

Keith grimaces.

Maybe him and Shiro wasn't the best for Pidge and Lance's self esteem.

Damn, it was really stupid, how those two pined.

Keith had never been in school with them before Altea.

He did see two fickle second years punching and teasing each other, the girl usually exhibiting some kind of violence, the guy just laughing and continuing his verbal pursuit. Keith had just brushed it off.

But then, a year later, he had noticed those two newly-turned third years, leaning on each other, looking at each other in a way Keith hadn't really seen before. Baffling. Baffling, it was.

And now, the two damn idiots liked each other. Took a damn long while to realise it.

"Uh-well, you like him, it's natural to want lovey dovey shit kinda messages," Keith scoffs, internal stress relieved. Good summary, Keith.

"No!" Pidge smacks Keith on the side. "I don't want to call each other babe or anything...you know what, forget I said anything."

"Damn, Pidge, denial much?"

Pidge spreads out the blueprint, not even looking up to deliver a killing blow.

"At least I don't sext in calculus."

Keith goes as red as his jacket, curling his lip and looking away from Pidge abashedly, who bursts out into laughter.

Pidge barely registers the sound of the door bursting open before she whips her head around and stares at a certain someone, very obnoxiously posed.

"What's up, bitches?" Lance McClain pushes his way into the room, donning douchey sunglasses and a crop top reading 'SUMMER'S OUT'.

God, sometimes Pidge wondered why she liked this boy. Obnoxious, loud, annoying as hell...wait, why was she suddenly being like him? Looking on the surface and no where else.

Well, no matter.

"The roof," Pidge deadpans, trying her best to divert her eyes from Lance's tanned torso.

Goddamn.

"Good to know, I never would have guessed that myself," he slurs, pointing at Pidge with a finger gun.

"Where did you go, dressed all hot like that?" Pidge jokes, throwing a mockingly sultry smirk Lance's way. He flinches, blinking with surprise, immediately shaking off that expression and returning Pidge's expression.

"I was waiting at your bedroom, but you weren't there."

Now, Lance knew that wasn't a complete lie, but he definitely wasn't going to storm Pidge's room and do the dirty in the there. Nope. NOoooope. (totally wasn't in his dreams).

Why was she flirting with him if she likes someone else?

"Pity," Pidge sighs, bursting out into laughter soon after. Keith mimes vomiting in the corner, looking disgusted as he makes his way back to Lance and Pidge.

"You two are disgusting, you know that?" Keith groans, covering his face.

LANCE: lol

PIDGE: wanna keep on doing that just to piss him off

LANCE: deal

"Do you want to know what's disgusting? You and Shiro's PDA in the quad," Pidge scoffs. She points Lance towards the blueprint.

Lance had never been more proud of anything in his life other than the blueprint.

After meeting with Allura, he and Pidge (and Shiro and Keith and Hunk) had thought it would be great to honour her by changing Voltron to a new, improved version of her design. So they could say that Allura helped kick Zarkon's ass.

His bony finger traces the thin, deliberate lines that spindle over the surface of the print, designed by him, done by him. Five majestic lions that connect into the most powerful robot ever seen. Layers upon layers of thoughtfully drawn machinery, machinery that had to coordinate and work together to succeed.

It was nice. Even if Lance didn't really have a thing...at least he could contribute so that the people with 'things' could shine and win.

They were going to win it this year, Lance was sure. Voltron hadn't won for a few generations now.

"Do you know what's disgusting? The fact that you and Lance haven't-"

Lance doesn't understand why Pidge suddenly kicks Keith's knee from behind, effectively cutting him off and surprising him.

"Yeow," he mutters. Pidge tuts at him, rolling her eyes.

"So, suckers," she says. "Are we going to build or what?"

~~~

"Ms. Holt, why do you have a Python textbook open? We're in Calculus."

Pidge blinks, slowly tilting her small head up from a page entitled "Variable Loops", grinning sheepishly at a petulant Mr. Thace.

"It's an advanced version of what you're teaching," Pidge forces out between her teeth, fighting back the urge to laugh, made harder by Shiro and Keith making funny faces behind her. Fuckers.

"Is that so?" Mr. Thace's eyes trail upwards as if thinking, adjusting his little glasses and smiling with a little glint of his eyes.

"...mmm," Pidge gives him her best shit-eating smile. Thace goes to his desk, rummaging and pulling out a stack of papers.

"In that case, I think ten pages of A* level questions from the exam-style papers should be sufficient."

He plops the papers on her desk, the rest of her class (including Shiro and Keith, those little shits) bursting out into laughter.

"...yep," Pidge breathes out, her head swimming with numbers. Mr. Thace grins, walking away with her worksheet.

"And for the record, Pidge, you should check page 394 of that book, I think it has information you might find interesting."

Pidge's hand moves to the book.

"Not now, unless you want another twenty pages."

Pidge scowls, Shiro grins, and Keith laughs.

~~~

The Voltron team sits on the bleachers of the quad, the sunset giving the area a rather peaceful atmosphere. Reds over yellows, some purples in between, the colour casts itself over the whole place, dyeing green grass and blue sky.

"I can't believe that we've got so little time left before December," Keith says, head rested on Shiro's lap, Shiro's fingers lazily stroking and messing with Keith's hair. (they have to pretend not to notice a small group of younger kids giggling on the opposite side of the quad) Pidge leans on Lance, who leans on Hunk, who leans on the bleacher wall.

"There's still a few months," Hunk points out optimistically, palms facing the air. Pidge shakes her head.

"Yeah, there's two to three months, but it's still not enough. We need to seriously work hard to make this work," she reminds, Shiro nodding along.

"You sound like a future leader of Voltron," Lance jokes, poking Pidge's cheek. Pidge immediately wants to retaliate to the comment, but take as few moments to realise...that was a compliment. She settles for smiling, almost shyly, much to her own annoyance.

"Sure."

Shiro, eyes squinted suspiciously, analyses the moment.

"I've already started getting the parts done, with Pidge and Keith's help. I assume that Lance and Shiro will help me with manual wiring?"

Lance's eyes glint, as usual.

"Why else do we have these dexterous fingers?" he puffs his chest out, proudly sticking his hands out as if showing off a manicure. Wait, was that actually a manicure? Damn, those nails are glossy...Pidge can't help but admire them. 

Pidge tries her best to not let her mind wonder to the double meaning of that statement.

_Shit._

"To draw," Keith says, looking up. 

Pidge nearly misses the brief moment where he lets the facade fall, eyes drooping. Lance obviously knew that Keith didn't mean to diminish him, right? That ol' blunt Keith never really meant to hurt anyone, that he just blurted out whatever?

Shit, how long had he been doing that for? Hiding what he felt?

"To do the little things, the little details that make the robot complete," Pidge pitches in, "which we kind of really need. One mistake and Voltron won't be Voltron."

And all of a sudden, Lance looks at her, and it's something she can't recognise. She hasn't seen him look at her like that before.

"Thanks, Pidge."

He smiles at her. That's all it is. A smile.

It's silent all of a sudden.

Pidge can only hear the wind going by.

Maybe it's not actually silent?

Then suddenly, she can hear again, Shiro verbally dishing out schedule plans and ideas for Voltron.

"Lance and Pidge will work on coding," he says, passing by the statement.

"Why me?" Lance asks, voice tinged with suspicion and surprise. Shiro raises an eyebrow.

"Your computer science grades are second only to Pidge, and you seem a lot more thorough than a certain Pidgeon here," Shiro explains, directed squinted eyes to an abashed Pidge, who represses the urge to glare at Shiro poutily. 

"Just because it hit you in the face once-"

Somehow, Shiro can look menacing while still behaving lovingly with Keith, who looks so damn comfortable that Pidge is honestly jealous. Lance's lap was probably pretty comfortable. Pidge shuts up.

"Anyway, yes, we've got the project sorted out. You two work on the software, the rest of us will finish of the hardware and make sure it works properly."

Keith and Shiro get up, Keith whispering something the rest can't hear into Shiro's ear, the pair laughing loudly, voices echoing. Hunk runs away to Shay, who appears on the other side of the quad.

Lance and Pidge are inevitably left alone.

"Have you ever thought about dating?"

Pidge freezes, head jolting to Lance, who puts his hands up.

"That was random."

"I meant in general," he clarifies, cheeks tinged with a rosy pink of the sunset as he rubs the back of his neck.

"Maybe if I find the right person."

_So what's it gonna be?_

"None of us?"

God, Lance isn't exactly subtle, is he? Pidge somehow miraculously doesn't notice the hidden meaning.

"I'm definitely not interested in Keith or Shiro, if that's what you're saying," Pidge huffs, chuckling after. "they're very happy together."

She doesn't talk after that, slowly leaning on him like she always had before, walking together back to the dorms, their backs lit by a blooming sunset.

It's comfortable, nice, familiar. Familiarity is something she loves and craves, something that she hasn't had for a while. Especially with everything broken up. Maybe she wanted Lance because she was familiar with him. That he is the person she is closest to after Matt himself. 

Something he would choose. Something she would choose.

"So, partner," Lance turns a little, shooting Pidge another dose of that smile that she's learned to love. "You ready to code?"

Pidge closes her eyes, unable to stop the (admittedly) lovey-dovey smile growing on her face.

"Only if it's with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'd be surprised how many comments there are on this book on Wattpad. It's like spam. (and very amusing when I get 50+ notifications in one shot from this story alone)
> 
> In other news, Season 4 may have destroyed my rarepair big bang fic idea, but yanno...  
> (I totally didn't also sign up for the Pidge big bang...what do you guys think of Kidge?)
> 
> Thanks for reading, have a lovely day!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Maybe being inoffical coding roommates is harder than it sounds
> 
> 2) "Heya, Plaxum!"
> 
> 3) The team gets their first glimpse of a very special robot.
> 
> "But I hear that a certain Lance McClain isn't staying in his room nowadays."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out my massive amount of Design Tech homework stopped me from updating as fast as usual, Much apologies.   
> Funny story:  
> I'm on a Voltron Chat Group, and they mentioned this story without even knowing I'm the author. Kind of weird, but really cool!  
> Also, I have a feeling for the ending and the chapter count from this point on. Let's just say that it hasn't been angsty enough yet. 
> 
> Happy Reading!

"DID YOU JUST DELETE A WHOLE WALL OF MY CODE?!" Pidge screams, turning to Lance with fire in her eyes.

"Yes! There were enough bugs in it to start a goddamn colony," Lance retaliates, just as loud, folding his arms and frowning. Goddamn, if Iverson hadn't found out how Lance and Pidge were basically roommates now, Lance supposed he never will (additionally, Hunk seems to have moved in with Shay, leaving them a free room)

"It could have been fixed! By you!" Pidge protests, "because that's your job that you didn't do!"

Lance stops, face falling and losing patience and confidence. Pidge suddenly realises what she had done, eyes widening with sudden regret. She immediately tries to rectify the situation, concerned.

"Oh god, Lance, I'm so sorry-"

Lance offers her a weak smile, which seems to only agitate her more, pulling out her own hair and nearly knocking over the cup of day-old coffee on her desk. She rubs her eyes, glasses haphazardly slipping off her face. She pushes it up, but Lance catches her hand, gently taking them from her and placing them on the desk.

"You're doing the anime thing again," he says, so soft compared to the other times he says it.

"No seriously, you don't deserve to put up with me like this. You seriously don't," she mumbles, her head leaning forward, eyelids lowering in shame. Lance, stunned, takes her head in his hands gently, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Pidge has been losing track. Losing track. Losing track of how many days Pidge has fallen asleep on Lance, fallen asleep with Lance, or never gotten any sleep at all. How many days of sleep she has forgone to finish the project. And now they were so close, so close to the deadline, so close to finishing. But not there yet.

The leaves are falling outside, autumn painfully close to winter. Terrifyingly close.

"Lance, I'm so sorry-"

"Shh..." he mumbles. Pidge nearly falls asleep right there, Lance quietly hugging her. And oh god, it's so warm, and nice, and comforting, being in his arms. Pidge knows it's enough, it's definitely enough, but the greed in her screams for more, still more, she needs to know more, needs more.

She needs Lance more, and Jesus, the fact that she needs someone for the first time in her life has never scared her more.

"You're stressed. You're tired. I'm stressed and tired. I shouldn't have deleted the whole thing either. Now come on, you've got to sleep. I'll help you work on it while you sleep, and you can delete the whole thing if you don't like it."

Pidge nearly sobs, hitting breaking point. She's never felt so stressed before. Not for exams, not for schoolwork, not for anything. This competition is her way to prove herself, to prove to people that she could do it. To prove to herself that she is enough, that everything wouldn't be a waste, all her work would become something truly amazing.

She can only thank whatever gods there are that she has Lance, and Matt, and Keith, and Hunk, and Shiro, and Allura, and everyone in her life that keep her from letting loose, from destroying herself.

Maybe Lance feels the same way that she does sometimes? Maybe?

She doesn't really deserve Lance, but that doesn't stop her from wanting him. There's a difference.

God, why can't she return to the days where Lance was merely her best friend and not someone she pined for, where this competition didn't exist and she wasn't in a constant state of mental crisis?!

Pidge Gunderson has already fallen asleep, when Lance carries her to the bed, laying down next to her, the pair dozing off at an immeasurably late time, school awaiting them the next morning.

~~~

Pidge sits at lunch alone, nose stuck in a coding book. Studying is a foreign thing to someone who naturally learns, but this case doesn't seem to follow natural flow.

Boom.

Pidge looks up, surprised to see a gaggle of mermaid girls, Tumblr-worthy pastel hair and sporting similar clothing and faces, looking down at her with cheeky grins.

"Who's your new boyfriend, Katie?" One of the girls ask coyly, leaning over to her with greedy grins. Katie scoffs, trying not to smile at the thought. As if. She probably didn't hide her smile well, though, because a few of the girls squeal at her look.

"I don't have a boyfriend, Plaxum," Katie replies. But oh shit, some of her sweet but parasite friends lean over, and Plaxum, however nice she naturally is, looks like she's ready to tear Pidge apart for the truth.

"But I hear that a certain Lance McClain isn't staying in his room nowadays," Plaxum teases. How would she know? She stays in the opposite wing.

"Is that so?" Pidge ducks her head down, raising her eyebrows and feigning surprise.

"Indeed. Rumours say that there's a lot of interesting screaming coming a certain Katie's room," Plaxum's friend put in, hair interestingly dyed. Pidge can't help but stare at it for a while. Damn, why was this squad of girls all so mermaid-aesthetic-beautiful? Seems like some of Lance's type. 

Still, Pidge hates girl-on-girl hate, so she doesn't hate them for a silly notion like that.

"I've been coding. You know me, don't you?"

Pidge recalls how she had nearly torn her hair out when she and Plaxum failed to solve a particular question in computer science. And Pidge  _never_ fails in computer science. 

"Ahh, but the chorus of pain includes a male tenor behind it." Plaxum wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, bursting out into well-meant giggles all of a sudden, her gaggle of friends singing her laughter behind Plaxum.

Lance.

"Heya, Pidgey, Plaxum," Lance greets with a little salute, casually slinging his arm over Pidge and leaning down, his head beside hers. Plaxum and her gang go silent, shooting each other looks, immediately bursting into peals of giggles. Pidge nearly shoves Lance off her shoulder, but he looks so adorably confused that it's worth tolerating the teasing. 

"And you say he's not your boyfriend!" Plaxum chokes out, eyes tightly shut, coughing a little from the pure intensity of her laugh. Lance's chin plops on Pidge's shoulder, head tilting to the side from confusion.

"Huh?"

Plaxum facepalms, shaking her head and laughing Lance off.

"Boy, you are as oblivious as a brick," she quips. "Katie here totally has the hots for-"

"God, Plaxum!" Pidge nervously giggles, nearly head locking the girl to keep her from talking too much. Lance, a little bewildered, waves goodbye, patting Pidge on the head before leaving.

Plaxum turns to Pidge, about to open her mouth and speak, smirk painted beautifully on her mouth.

"Oh, don't even!"

Plaxum laughs.

\---

"Ms.Gunderson, why haven't you handed in your work?"

That's a sentence she's hearing more and more nowadays. Her classmates are surprised, her teachers are disappointed and concerned about the changing behaviour of the girl herself. Pidge was only really happy around Voltron team members and other friends. Not in school.

"Mr.McClain, I'm putting you in detention."

A sentence that Lance has been hearing over, and over, and over again, goddamnit, because Lance doesn't care about class right now. He knows he can learn this on his own later from the stupid textbook, he's not dumb. In class, he spends his time jotting down code for Pidge to later refine and for him to perfect, trying not to get scolded or caught. Most of the time, it works. Sometimes he ends up surrendering his work to a teacher.

Basically, neither of them have been doing particularly well. They're only lucky that finals are only next year, long after the competition would be over.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick tock goes the clock as Lance and Pidge bide their time in detention, giving each other a beautifully expressive set of glares and looks as they hope that the teacher doesn't notice.

PIDGE: I'm almost done with the final sector!

LANCE: YEAHHHH

PIDGE: I'm going to need your help though. I have a feeling I'm going to be so excited about this that I won't be able to work properly later.

LANCE: I'm bringing the instant noodles.

PIDGE: You're the best.

LANCE: You know it.

"Do you two want longer detention?"

Well, shit, guess that's another fifty minutes taken away from their free time.

~~~

"You two done yet?"

Hunk, leaned on the wall, outside the detention room, can't help but chuckle as he sees the two knuckleheads exiting the detention room with sullen faces.

"We got extra jail time," Pidge slurs, curling her lip. Lance nods.

"We weren't good prisoners."

"Tell me something I don't know, why don't you," Hunk quips. He tosses each of them a sugar cookie, which is pretty much enough to get them more wired than before, the two eagerly munching on them like chipmunks.

"You're the best, Hunk," Pidge sighs happily, polishing it off.

"I thought I was the best!" Lance exclaims, affronted.

"Uh, nope, Hunk got me a sugar cookie. And mine's got some peanut butter in it," she rebuts jokingly, flicking an eager Lance away with one finger.

"Well, shit, I guess I've got to find peanut-butter flavour instant noodles, then," Lance curses, making the trio burst into laughter. "Anyway, Hunk, where are we headed?"

"Shiro said to collect you guys and bring you to the workshop." Hunk tosses a cookie in his mouth. "Mmm, I am a good baker!"

A short while later, they reach the workshop, an excited Shiro standing in the doorway.

"Come here!"

Shiro picks Pidge up, speeding her through the workshop and plopping her down right in front of a robot.

Oh god.

They had amazingly managed to construct a rough idea of Voltron, standing before them. The outside covering was by no means perfect, the paint job being absolute shit, but as long as the cabling worked out, there were no problems, and the robot could work as designed, then no problem, right?

The robot stands quite tall, around Pidge's waist height, not particularly large in the other dimensions. Voltron stands as a majestic combination of five separate protrusions which may be pushing the rules a little, but Shiro had checked and found that it was technically, technically approved. With great loopholes, actually.

The black lion in the centre stands proud, slightly larger than the rest and was from which the other four lions would connect to. Even further, Pidge had designed each robot to have specifications and special powers that suited the skills of the pilot. Keith, for example, would be able to call on a small sword, built for his blade-obssessed self. Hunk had gotten a monster of a shoulder cannon that he could activate from the foot.

"Doe-does it work?" Lance forces out, a little shocked and choked up at the sight. Even if he hadn't built the robot himself, he had been the main frontier for design, doing countless renditions by hand and on computer-aided-design. And now, to see a version of it (no matter how rough, unpolished and in need of repairs it was), it was kind of-kind of amazing, really.

"Yeah, obviously, what kind of engineers do you think we are?" Keith scoffs good-naturedly, making a funny face at Lance, who is taken aback by his demeanor. Since when does Keith Kogane make jokes?

Since when? Maybe because he was in a good mood, seeing Voltron (mostly) done.

This would be the first big robot (robots?) that he, Pidge and Hunk would have done together.

Amazing.

Lance's careful fingers reach out ever so slightly, stroking the surface of the blue lion. The one that Pidge had designed just for him. He didn't fail to notice how she seemed to put a little more thought and effort into the blue and green lioins. 

She's beautiful, he thinks, even if her paint job is crap, her cabling isn't 100% secure, and she may not be perfectly built. Still beautiful.

And Lance turns to see Pidge's face, and the moment is suddenly made a thousand times better. She's shining, eyes sparkling, mouth unconsciously parted open in awe.

If he could make Pidge look that happy, wouldn't that be enough?

"Keith engineered the parts, some of them sneakily done in the 3D printer, some he did on his own. I handled the inner mechanism and assembly in general. Hunk's the mastermind who worked out and brought your 'connectivity' idea to life," Shiro credits. Hunk returns from some hidden corner of the room he had disappeared to, bringing out five headbands in his palm, each coloured differently.

"Hunk, holy shit," Lance compliments. Hunk, bashful, rubs the back of his neck and grins. 

"Well, it wasn't that hard after some thought. I've got some controllers, they're like gaming controllers, that you use to move the thing. This is just the neuro-transmitter."

"The engineering looks- _is, s_ o good," Pidge gives, a stupidly large grin appearing on her face. Really, Pidge just wants to scream, squeal, punch the goddamn ceiling ("You're too short, Pidge!").

"Guys, wanna give it a whirl?" Hunk asks almost shyly, thrusting the headbands out.

Pidge does the anime thing.

"AYEEAHHHH!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed, sorry again for the late update!  
> At this point I just want to remind you readers that I am in no way an engineer, designer, scientist or smiliar, I'm just a writer who likes science, robots and Voltron. Information may be fictional for story purposes. 
> 
> Thank you, leave a kudos and comment if you please!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Pumpkin spice lattes. 'Nuff said. 
> 
> 2) Fall aesthetics and picnics (thanks, Hunk!) are everyone's favourite aesthetic. 
> 
> 3)Maybe their conquest is hopeless. Maybe it's not. 
> 
> "I can't help the fact that I'm a basic bitch,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY HELL THOR RAGNAROK JUSTICE LEAGUE I'M SO READY
> 
> also sorry for the delay, but I am almost finished with my rarepair bang submission :-D :-D :-D (totally didn't sign up for the Pidge BIg Bang...?)
> 
> Have a cute filler chapter :-)  
> I should stop using so many emojis jsus

TEAM: FIVE LIONS AND A PRINCESS

Pidgeon: .  
                 .  
                 .  
                 Can we have the old group  
                 chat name back.

Aquaman: no way jose

Texan Cowboy: isn't it 'no way ho-say'?

Aquaman: ...AHHAHAHAHA

Space Dad: Keith, ever heard of 'the Spanish pronunciation of jose?'

Texan Cowboy: joe-se

Pidgeon: AHAHAHAHAHA

Aquaman: AHAHAHAHAHA

nicer gordon ramsey: you guys wanna meet at Castle Park? 2?

Aquaman: sure, I'll be there with Pidge

Space Dad: :-):-):-)

Princess: ;-);-);-)

nicer gordon ramsey:>_<>_<>_<

Pidgeon: wut

Space Dad: Nothing

Pidgeon: v_v

Aquaman::-\

~~~

The autumn wind blows Pidge's hair gently, ruffling her pleated skirt and blowing her cardigan all over the place. Lance, elbow lazily thrown on her shoulder, puts the Starbucks cup to her lips, Pidge sipping. Together, the duo walk back to the park from the little town nearby their far-out school, savouring what little of their mid-term break that they had. 

"I can't believe we're having goddamn pumpkin spice lattes," Pidge groans out, nevertheless reaching out for the cup and gulping it down piping-hot. Lance laughs at her, jokingly tipping the cup a little far.

Pidge just drinks it faster, pretending to spit it in Lance's face.

"I can't help the fact that I'm a basic bitch," Lance pretends to flip his hair, preening. Pidge noticed how cuddly he looks, bundled up in a dark blue sweater and scarf.

"The other three are coming later?" Pidge checks, her phone blinking with spam from Hunk, something about enjoying the fall and rolling in the leaves. She chooses to put the phone away, tucking it in her pocket.

Now that the strange spell of hot weather during fall had finally elapsed, Pidge got to start using the 'room hibernation' excuse.

Lance and her continue the 'roommates' thing, being flexible enough to not care who's bed was who's or who's stuff was who's. Honestly, being roommates with Lance was definitely way better than that bitchy girl in the beginning of the term. At least Lance accepted her. And at least Lance gives amazing cuddles when she's 'cold' (she's really not).

"Mmhmm, Hunk said that he's heading over after his shift. Shiro and Keith..."

Lance makes a sound of disgust, and Pidge needs to shut off her mind before it conjures anything too fanfiction smut-esque, NSFW-style.

"They're going on a couple tour of Ol' Maloney house back there." Lance points to an old, rumouredly haunted house. "a couple tour."

Pidge flushes, the thoughts dispelling.

"What?" he leans, squinting at her face. His foot crunches satisfyingly on a pile of leaves as they walk into the park, the ambiance beautiful, void of most people and leaves falling all over the place, creating some kind   "What did you think I was talking about?"

"Nothing."

Shit that sterotypical answer, because Lance starts making a slew of faces, including wiggling his eyebrows.

"What, you want your boyfriend to do those things-"

"I don't have a boyfriend," Pidge reminds loudly, raising one eyebrow and poking Lance in the cheek. Lance shivers a little, still not well-versed in the colder seasons' ways. God, what else did she expect from someone who came from a beach?

"Sure you do. You like someone, don't you?"

Lance is nearly, nearly completely done with waiting for this mystery guy to show up. He doesn't expect Pidge to frown as if she didn't know what he means.

"Since when?"

"I thought there was."

"Ha, if I had a boyfriend, he'd be the one staying over in my room," Pidge scoffs. "You know, Plaxum thought I was dating you."

Lance chokes on the latte, much to Pidge's amusement. 

"Wouldn't that be a miracle," he mumbles, slipping out without him thinking. Pidge catches it, jolting.

"Wait, what-?!"

"Hi, Shiro!" Lance quickly greets, seeing an exuberantly grinning Shiro and somewhat pleased looking Keith barelling down to them from a steep incline. Shiro, hands tucked in his windbreaker pocket and face flushed happily, greets Lance and Pidge with hugs each. Keith has the great courtesy to give Pidge a high five and Lance and fist bump.

"Why are you two so happy?" Lance chuckles under his breath. Maybe it's the way they comfortably show affection, Keith always with a smile on his face nowadays, how Shiro's hand rests on Keith's hip so comfortably, maybe that's why Lance is jealous, seething a little bit inside. That for the first time, he was too chicken to ask a girl out. Too chicken to admit that the pick up lines meant something.

"I don't know. Maybe because I've gotten to spend a day with Keith, just doing couple things," Shiro cheers. Keith makes a face, mumbling under his breath.

"Totally not because I gave you a hickey in the house bathroom."

Pidge's head whips around.

"Keith-?!"

Before Pidge can properly react, she feels a force knocking her off balance from behind, sending her flying on a pile of leaves, followed up by a second weight landing on her back. Similarly, she sees Keith and Shiro brawled over, leaves gently floating down on their heads. Keith jokingly pushes Shiro, who pushes him, and Pidge doesn't want to keep on looking for what's coming next.

Pidge groans at first, as does Lance (who convieniently, conveniently lands right on top of her), but breaks out into laughter when she sees the naughty perpetrator.

"Hunk!"

"It's autumn, so I had to make you guys fall," Hunk cheers, grinning as cheekily as ever. Pidge smirks, kicking her own out to sweep-kick Hunk, knocking his legs behind him and landing face-first in the leaf pile.

"Okay, fine, you got me there." Hunk flops down, making leaf angels in the pile. Lance leaps on Hunk, and Pidge does too, both of them just lying down on his arms.

"Guess I made Lance fall 'for' Pidge," Hunk provides. Lance huffs. After all, no one but Pidge herself made him fall for her.

Why is she so pretty today? Maybe it's the fall aesthetic adding to it, turning her brownish hair more orange, her skirt and scarf flowing in the wind. Or maybe, maybe it's more of how it's making her smile, truly smile for the first time in days.

Keith pops up from somewhere  amidst the massive piles of leaves with wide eyes and a flushed face one wouldn't (shouldn't) see during fall. Shiro, beneath him and staring up at Keith with loving eyes, doesn't move.

Lance's heart stings again.

Keith was brave. Keith had confessed. And look where he was.

Loved.

It was just another one of those times where Keith beats him to it. Keith beats him again, so it's no surprise this time.

Lance doesn't want to give up yet. But sometimes, giving up is the smartest option.

Pidge was worth more than the smartest option.

Actually,

Pidge deserves more than the smartest option.

"Come on guys, I brought a picnic!" Hunk cheers, bounding up and carrying up Lance and Pidge with him. "I'm not an intern for nothing."

Pidge turns to Lance, making an 'ahh' of understanding to him. 

"Now we understand the love of 'working'." Pidge makes air quotes. She bounds off to the picnic basket, dragging it to their weirdly arranged seats of leaves.

The group relaxes on the haphazardly arranged leaves, Lance leaning back on Pidge to jokingly set her off-balance.

Pidge whacks him leaping forward and smushing Lance under her. With the fire of someone annoyed, Pidge pins his arms behind his head, straddling his lap, devoid of embarrassment.

"Checkmate, bitch."

Lance seriously can't take how dominant Pidge looks, one eyebrow raised and smirk painted on face.

Basically...

Shit.

"Ohoho..." Hunk mutters, sharing a sly look with a giggling Keith.

Shiro reaches for a sandwich, slyly snapping a picture with his left hand.

"I really really can't believe that it's almost competition time," Shiro remarks, a bit too joyously.

"You just had to remind me of that," Pidge mumbles. Mournfully, she chews on a peanut butter sandwich, making a quiet face of approval to Hunk.

"Well, Pidge," Keith and Shiro both stare at Pidge, who jerks in surprise, "we're further than I ever thought. Someone should tell Allura-"

"Did someone call?"

Allura, standing as regal and tall as always, bounds down to them with hands stuffed in pockets and smile on face. She waves, the whole team returning the wave in reply.

"Pidge!"

Allura hugs Pidge, leaning slightly downwards.

"Hey, don't I get a hug?!" Lance protests. Allura jokingly sticks out her tongue, hugging a smug Pidge (who also sticks out her tongue).

"Nope, only Pidge."

"Hah!"

Lance pouts, scrunching up his face at an overly smug Pidge. Why did she look so happy about that? Allura sits down in between Lance and Pidge, and suddenly Pidge doesn't look so happy.

"You guys have come so far! Even you and Lance, with your coding! " Allura exclaims, clapping her hands together. Pidge shrugs.

"It's a robot, at least," she says, at the same time Lance says "It was all Pidge."

Excuse her, it definitely wasn't all Pidge. But Lance seems to actually believe that, with droopy face and eyes that Pidge couldn't quite decipher. And Pidge could decipher everything. Everything.

Everything except the mysteries of Lance McClain's internal angst, apparently.

Keith and Hunk gape.

"Are you serious right now?" Keith questions, sounding more than a little annoyed. "We've slaved over this for the whole year so far. At least sound proud of it."

Pidge grimaces, especially when she sees Hunk making a similar offended face like Keith's. She remembers Keith telling her that Shiro and him had been planning during their second year before her, Hunk and Lance had joined. So this project was larger than it felt to the younger trio.

She doesn't mean that it's bad. It's the far from bad, really. But Pidge doesn't praise herself until the job is truly, completely, totally finished. And right now, they have a robot with coding that is in dire need of refining.

"I don't mean that it's bad. I'm just not one hundred percent satisfied, probably because of my coding. I don't know, I just feel like I can improve it."

Yep, Pidge is almost never able to explain herself to normal people.

Lance and Pidge had spent the final nights binging on robot movies and coding, Lance being the right brain to Pidge's overwhelming left brain. A perfect combination, really. He was...unexpectedly creative, so to say?  (they totally didn't program Voltron to be able to dab on command. Totally.)

"You guys have done amazing," Pidge settles, which seems to satisfy the group. Lance nearly opens his mouth to add "no, Pidge, you've done well as well," but he ends up not saying it at all. After all, Pidge wasn't even looking.

"A month," Hunk breathes out, clutching his hot drink. "A month before we see Voltron in action."

"You need to practice using it. If you're good at using the robot, you'll definitely outdo Galra," Allura offers, face grimacing for a moment. "Zarkon was always about building the biggest, baddest and most expensive robot, but never really had the skill or patience to do well with it."

She sounds bitter, the whole team thinks. Bitter that his strategy might just be working while she was stuck out of her club. 

"Allura, we'll make you proud."

Pidge glances around at their team.

Shiro looks steadfast as ever (and way too serious for an autumn picnic, in her opinion.)

Keith leans on Shiro in the way a boyfriend would, picking at his fingers distractedly.

Hunk joyously digs into his picnic basket, offering Allura and Lance some pumpkin pasties. (such a Hufflepuff...)

Allura looks like she actually has hope in this world, eyes sparkling as brightly as her mermaid hair.

Pidge doesn't want to look at Lance for fear that she won't look away.

What happened to the days of their friendship? Pidge hates crushes, hates them with her life, and now she has a grade-A certified maybe-deniable crush on her fucking best friend. Brilliant.

Lance seems so happy, though. Something makes him shine today, look especially adorable. Maybe it's the fall aesthetic.

Is this the team with which she was to win a war of robots with Shiro as their leader?

Is this the team that they dreamed would win?

Is this the team that would be the best?

For the first time, Pidge maybe just has a little bit of hope for herself.

What was a team for, after all?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
> If you did, drop me a review, kudos, I appreciate it all!  
> Thank you for your patience, ily!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Shiro and Keith manage to make even registration love-sickly disgusting
> 
> 2) Matt falls. Hard. (for a certain princess)
> 
> 3) Twenty questions is very informative, and a favourite mustache-endowed ginger happens to be very good at listening in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited for this chapter.   
> Once again, I am very sorry for the wait. I spent quite a while overseas without my laptop on a figure skating camp...let's just say I've been busy.  
> The end is in sight!
> 
> (IS ANYONE ELSE SO HAPPY ABOUT PIDGANCE DECEMBER???)

Calculus, is of course, just another obstacle in their obstacle course known as school. Straight after, Keith, Shiro and Pidge head for their meal at the quad, lying in wait for Hunk and Lance.

"Aaand...we have ten years of experience as a club...sure...totally not fibbing..." Shiro scribbles. Keith runs up from behind, giggling, jumping on Shiro's stooped back, making him collapse in front on top of the registration form. 

"Keith!"

"Can you two stop being so disgustingly cute and actually finish filling in registration?" Pidge quips, picking at her fingernails. The committee had sent out more paperwork to be soon sent in, annoyingly. As if the first bunch wasn't a hassle enough. As if they still needed more information a mere month or so away from the competition.

"Sure." Keith sticks his tongue out at her, the gesture later returned by Pidge, who scans the registration work for error. Of course, Shiro was a little heavy on the self praise, adding little white lies here and there. Keith ducks lower, whispering in Pidge's ear;

"I'll stop being cute with Shiro if you ask Lance out," he mutters, an air of cheekiness accompanying it. Annoyed, Pidge swats him away, eyes back to the paperwork.

"I'll do that if you start being a little less depreciating about him," she retorts.

"Someone's touchy," Shiro remarks, not looking up. "What's up?"

Pidge thinks back.

She doesn't think Lance has been getting any better, honestly. As in with his self-esteem. Pidge isn't sure why she's only now realised it, but maybe the team teases him too much and he is too sensitive. Bad combination.

Maybe she sees it every time she makes a snide remark about no girls ever liking him, how his coding could be as messy as her own, and the like. How Shiro and Keith didn't attribute good, hard work with Lance, even when it was really his own.

But, you know what? Pidge wants to change that.

She just doesn't really know how.

"Uh, what's up? The competition is a month away and I'm stressed, that's all," she responds, brushing back her bangs. Shiro doesn't seem to buy it, but then again Shiro has never really been one to press.

"Nothing to worry about, Pidge, it'll work itself out," Keith reassures, nose buried in his calculus book. Then, he suddenly groans, throwing the book across the quad, hitting one of the footballers with surprising strength.

"Ow! You ever thought of joining the football team? You've got quite an arm!"

"No thanks! I don't find a glorified game of catch and tag very interesting!"

The footballer scowls, throwing the book back and hitting Keith square in the nose.

Pidge sighs, giving a snide Keith a gentle kick.

"Just leave the math to me, okay?"

~~~

Shiro did build an obstacle course of Voltron to try, including some menial drones to battle. He also did have higher hopes, that began to plunge faster than his grades all the way to the ground.

"You need to aim right!" Keith growls, rapidly pressing a multitude of buttons in some wacky combo on his controller. Voltron lunges forward awkwardly, nearly sending the whole robot

"I am aiming right!" Hunk, a leg (something he's disproportionally proud of), defends. Lance, sitting next to Hunk, notices of Hunk applies his button-mash technique from gaming to robot controlling too.

"I wasn't talking to you, I was aiming that to Lance!" Keith corrects. He aims the sword at a drone, successfully stabbing it in the heart. Getting the sword out is a little more difficult.

"Hey!"

"Go down!  _Harder_!" Pidge exclaims passionately, turning to shoot an intense glare at Lance.

"Mmhmm...okay..." Lance responds quietly, barely looking at her, too focused. That's enough to make the whole team burst into laughter and drop the controllers, halting Voltron.

"Ooh-oh god, that sounded so wrong!" Keith howls, him and Hunk pretty much collapsed on the floor in laughter. Shiro tries his best not to grin, but alas, he gives up.

"I thought you were pure, Pidge," he jokes, shaking his head disappointedly. Pidge and Lance go as tomato red as Keith's lion.

"Since when?!" they say in unison.

"Hey!" Pidge, irked, smacks Lance away.

"Hey, guys, we really need to try to practice. We don't have that long."

Shiro's right. Voltron was nearly perfected, Pidge budgeting her time more evenly between class and robotics now, but its pilots were very far from perfect.

"How we are supposed to focus while these two keep on pillowtalking?" Hunk chokes out amidst his laughter, prompting a second round from Keith and Hunk.

"Oh my god, no!" Pidge laughs along, amused.

Shiro is eventually left with two laughing children, one angry but laughing child, and one child hiding in the corner (very embarrassed and very shy). Kind of nutty, considering one of the laughing children is his boyfriend.

He sighs.

Guess he's got these knuckleheads in loco parentis.

~~~

Pidge spends one of her last good weekends-by that, she means one of the last weekends before she drives off to the competition-with her beloved brother and her beloved friend; Lance.

"You're so dumb if you think that you're dumb," Lance fires. The topic had strangely shifted to Matt's new internship at an engineering plant where the Holt father used to work where he felt inferior (not taking into consideration that he was, on average, at least thirty years younger than most of the other employees).

"Only nineteen but my mind is older," Matt quips, rolling his eyes at Pidge and Lance. "Look, where are we going, again?"

"I just wanted to get a coffee and peanut butter cookies before getting back to Altea," Pidge shrugs. "Besides, since you're all the way here, I thought you should meet Allura. Like, you seem to know about her, and you're in the same chat group, but I don't think you've met her? "

"Allura? Interesting name," he remarks, looking out almost nostalgically, obviously distracted. Pidge remembers with a start that her brother might have strolled down the same path multiple times before with his own friends during his tenure at the Garrison and Altea. And would she be like Matt after she leaves in two, three years? Successful, a prodigy?

She hopes.

"It's kind of interesting how you and Allura message on the chat group but you haven't really met each other," Lance huffs out, pulling his jacket a little tighter. Pidge resists the urge to wrap her arms around him. The cold always bothered him.

"Oh, that Allura? Princess? The one that I told you guys about...right..." he mutters, remembering.

Pidge facepalms.

"How many Alluras do you think there are?"

Lance snickers, making Matt playfully poke him in the side, stuffing his hands in his green hoodie pockets.

"Let's just get in and get out."

Nearing the coffee place, Pidge pushes the door open, the little familiar bell tinkling its little tune. The Lion Cafe is empty, thankfully.

"Pidge, Lance! Oh look, it's a bigger Pidge!" Coran greets, pointing enthusiastically at Matt.

"Pidge's cooler older brother," Matt introduces.

"You know, Matt just might be right!" Lance feigns thinking. Pidge rolls her eyes, suddenly cupping Lance's face with her ice cold hands.

"AH-AH-AYEEE, THAT'S COLD-!"

"-Quite an interesting entrance, Lance." Allura raises an eyebrow, walking out from the kitchen and holding a little tray. Her hair is tied up in a very messy bun, flour dusted on her face, sweat rolling down her face. Still gorgeous.

Pidge glances sideways to her brother, and she nearly jumps out the window.

Matt is spazzing, for lack of better word. Glitching? Fangirling? He suddenly grins sickly sweet, eyes glittering like an anime character.

"You can stop drooling now, brother," she mumbles. He ignores her.

He swoops forward with remarkable speed, bowing low in front of a stunned Allura.

"So you're the stunning Princess," he says, voice obviously modified, an attempt at a flirty smirk on his face. Allura's cheeks pink, flattered.

Pidge and Lance glance sideways at each other.

PIDGE: ARE YOU KIDDING ME

LANCE: What, that's how I felt when I first met her!

Pidge whacks Lance with a forceful punch.

"Ow!"

"I see you're Pidge's brother? Good to meet you," she greets graciously. Matt gets up, Allura stunned by his height over her. Maybe she hadn't noticed it earlier.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he says. "I was very interested in your work? I never got to meet the legendary Allura of the Voltron Robotics Club."

Allura tries to hide a proud, flattered smile, but it doesn't really work. She grins, walking off and talking with Matt, sitting down with him at one of the further tables.

Coran, at the side wiping some glasses like a bartender, raises an eyebrow at Pidge and Lance, who shrug.

"Mallura?" Pidge offers.

"Allurat?" Lance counters. He shakes his head after a moment. "No, never mind, I like yours better."

If Lance was content with Matt so obviously flirting with Allura, not jumping in, then maybe he doesn't really like Allura anymore? Wow, that's a day that Pidge never thought she'd see.

Maybe he...?

"What do you kids want?" Coran asks, putting down the glass and walking over to the cashier.

"Uh, a pumpkin spice latte for Lance, black coffee for me, and a bag of those peanut butter cookies. Takeaway, please, " Pidge orders, passing Coran a few bills.

"Roger that!" He waves them off. "Go sit down, I'll have those out for you in no time."

He heads off into the kitchen.

"I heard a certain someone has a crush," Lance starts, pulling up a chair for Pidge. She sits, looking deadpan.

"Uh, no."

"Yes you doooo," he stretches out, pursing his lips and moving into Pidge's bubble of personal space. She doesn't back down, instead moving in closer with a glare.

Keith, that little bastard.

She doesn't want to tell him. Not yet. Not until she's sure.

But isn't she quite sure? Aren't the feelings she has only growing? Jesus, Pidge just wants to throw up at her own disgusting cheesiness.

She can't say she's in love...

Is she in love?

"So what if I do?" she spits out.

"You make it sound like a crime, having a crush," he states offhandedly, sitting down in his chair and backing down. Pidge shrugs.

"Just because I don't serially like people like you do doesn't mean I think that," she retorts. "Beside, Shiro mentioned you might have a little thing for someone too?"

Lance blanches, and Pidge grows more confident.

"That little-"

"-ah don't say that," she scolds, tutting.  "How about a little deal? Twenty questions style."

"I like your thinking." Lance smirks, Pidge biting her lip to not react to that face of his. Damn. "You start."

"Are they in our year?" she fires. He nods, a complete answer.

"Are they in our chemistry class?"

Pidge nods.

"Describe them," she shoots. That's a harder one to disguise, and Lance seems to struggle at first, intriguing her.

"They're...awesome, beautiful even if they don't believe it, they're really sarcastic," he answers, after a while.

Beautiful?

Lance calls a lot of people beautiful. Looks like this will be a lot more difficult than Pidge anticipated.

"Describe them. Physically," Lance clarifies, looking pleased with his question.

"Uh, tall."

"Not fair, you can't answer with just that!" Lance complains, pouting. "I gave you at least three adjectives."

"Presicely three, actually," Pidge corrects. Lance rolls his eyes.

"Still."

"Fine. He's tall, tan, and dark haired?" She can't help her questioning, nervous tone. Lance puffs up.

"Sounds like the gorgeous me!" He stabs a finger in his chest.

"Ha, you wish!"

Neither of the pairs took into consideration how  _goddamn_ frustrated Coran was becoming, listening in from behind the counter. It's okay, Lance and Pidge thought he was cooking or something, right?

**Secret chat group that the other four, under any circumstances, can never find out about:**

Gorgeous Man: HELP

Space Dad: What's going on?

Texan Cowboy: I swear to god, if those damn children are flirting again-

nicer gordon ramsey: hiiii

Gorgeous Man: Firstly, I think Matt has a big thing for Allura

nicer gordon ramsey: no wayyy

Gorgeous Man: Secondly, Allura might also have a little thing for Matt? I'm still unsure.

nicer gordon ramsey: nooooo wayyyy

Gorgeous Man: And Pidge and Lance are playing twenty questions about their crushes and they are getting VERY close to the truth.

nicer gordon ramsey:（⊙.⊙）L(*OεV*)E

Space Dad: Well, Keith and I didn't tell them they had crushes for nothing

Gorgeous Man: Shiro!!

Texan Cowboy: Those idiots aren't going to get anywhere without a push. So we pushed.

Question eighteen comes from Lance. At this point, both parties are being so deliberately vague that they've given up on finding out the person. Besides...its probably someone else, isn't it?

So far, Pidge thinks Lance's crush is some kind of angel with a sharp and dirty tongue, somehow both at the same time, who captivates him at every turn and that he likes cuddling with them.

How dare he cuddle with anyone other than her?!

Hahaha, Pidge, he's not even her boyfriend, she has to remember. She can't say that when he's not her boyfriend.

From the questions, Lance gleans that Pidge kind of (a phrase she keeps on repeating, but he doesn't buy it) likes a guy who's pretty attractive, a bit of a goof with a serious side, pretty intelligent, and really kind. And gives good cuddles.

Hey, who the hell cuddled with his Pidge? His Katie?!

Breathe, Lance, breathe...you weren't brave enough to ask her, you don't get to sound like a cutely protective boyfriend.

"When did you start liking him?"

Pidge pauses, pursing her lips in thought, brushing back her hair and frowning.

"I'm not really sure. Maybe it was third year of Garrison, maybe it was first year in Altea. I'm not sure," she admits. "It kind of only hit me this year, though."

Shit, how is Lance supposed to get anything from that? Pidge stands up.

"I think the drinks should be done, I'm just going to go pester Coran and we can finish the two questions outside." She and Lance glance at Matt and Allura, amicably chatting.

"It's so nice to talk with a guy with brains who cares about my robotics!" Allura cheers, looking happier than Pidge had seen in a while.

"What can I say, I'm quite a nerd," Matt admits. "Pidge teases me for it."

LANCE: They're not going anywhere anytime soon

PIDGE: Maybe the bedroom

LANCE: Pidge, no

"Coran, are you done yet?"

Magically, Coran pops up from behind the counter, holding a large paper bag and grinning very widely.

"Well, hello there, Pidge! One pumpkin spice latte, one black coffee, and one bag of our specialty cookies."

"Thanks, Coran," Pidge thanks, taking the bag. Lance stands up, playfully holding out an arm that Pidge takes, the pair leaving the store together.

The cold wind hits them both in the face, nearly knocking Pidge back into Lance.

"Ahaha, you never did have any weight on you," he jokes, gripping her shoulders. "At least you didn't drop my precious latte. That would be a disaster."

"Me falling isn't important compared to your basic bitch drink spilling?" Pidge snaps.

"Obviously," he chuckles. He pulls himself together, walking with Pidge down the path. Winter is cold, and he hates it, but it does give Pidge a pretty pink always on her cheeks now. It's worth the fifty sweaters, socks and scarves to go out with her in winter.

He wonders if Pidge knows it's her. That he likes, to clarify. Maybe even loves at this point, but he doesn't want to think about that.

Love is the strongest word he can think of.

"Question nineteen," she starts off, a shiver cutting her off. "Do you love them?"

That definitely catches Lance off guard.

Pidge looks up at him, eyes intense, hair blowing a little in the wind. It's almost like a scene in a movie, if he were seeing this from another perspective. A boy and girl walking hand in hand down an aesthetically pleasing walkway in winter, the wind blowing.

"Maybe. Actually, you know what? I'm saying yes. "

Is that a shimmer of disappointment he sees in Pidge's eyes? How they suddenly droop a little bit, quickly picking back up?

"Question twenty. Wow, its the last one," he realises. Pidge passes him his latte.

"Thanks, Katie."

Oh shit, it's never a good sign when he uses her real name. It's usually when he's emotionally charged. Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea. Beep, beep, beep, beep.

"Question twenty. Do you love him?"

Her answer might just kill him. Pidge doesn't love people easily. Took him like a year to get in with her, actually. If Pidge loves this guy...

It might just break his own heart.

Pidge stops walking. Eyebrows furrowed, hair blowing in her face, face lowered, she moves her reddened, trembling lips to utter a word.

And he can hear his heart splitting apart.

"Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed, thank you for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) There's more training, stressed training, with twice the amount of pickup lines, funnily. 
> 
> 2) Lance remembers the twenty questions, and it doesn't do him any good. 
> 
> 3) Revelations happen on the beach. 
> 
> "Would you like a demo of my multitouch capabilities?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited for you guys to read this. I feel like I've done good for once :-D
> 
> I'M POSTING MY RAREPAIR BIG BANG 2017 SUBMISSION IN TWO DAYS GUYS. KEEP AN EYE OUT!
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy! ;-)

The Green Lion leaps up, gracefully whipping the opposing robots surrounding it with its tail. Spinning fast in a circle, Pidge directs it down, the bodies of fallen droids left in the dust as her Lion races for the finish.

The Blue Lion speeds forward, challenging her for winning spot, clutching on to anything in its way and shucking it to the side. The two Lions now neck-to-neck in this simulation, Pidge playfully taps Lance's lion on the side, dealing no damage whatsoever. Desperate to win, and having a feeling that Lance might just do that, Pidge squints and knows she has to pull out all the stops.

The 'terrain' that Shiro set up, more a natural setting in the back outside the workshop, is definitely more challenging than the first obstacle course. This one is designed for the Lions, less for Voltron as a whole, filled with sharp and high reliefs and smaller but faster robots. A course to test their teamwork while separated. This means no neuro-transmitting headbands. 

Pidge wonders how Shiro built it.

No matter, that's not important now.

Pidge and Lance are chosen to race to the end, so that they 'complete the mission'. Keith, Lance and Shiro are designated tanks that cover them while completing the 'mission'.

"Hey, Pidge, looks like I'm winning," Lance says, grinning at her. Behind that grin is his teasing pride, and it only motivates her to do better.

Every time she looks at him, she can't help but flash back to a week ago.

Maybe she loves him? Maybe she doesn't? God, Pidge feels like she needs to do the 'loves me, loves me not' thing with the flowers just to reassure herself.

The twenty questions she played-the questions-they're still plaguing her. 

She can't help but think that his description of his crush kind of fit her. But it couldn't be her.

Pidge is not dumb. She is in fact very far from dumb, and she knows it. Lance doesn't look at girls like Pidge.

It's okay.

Platonic relationships are in no way lesser to romantic. She could be his best friend. She could be giving a speech at his wedding. She could be his first child's godmother. She could watch them grow up...not being their mother. 

Pidge wakes back up to reality when Lance pokes her askew glasses back on her nose.

"You weren't doing the anime thing, so I just did it for you," he states offhandedly, offering her a little smile that just stabs her in the heart. Jesus, the things he does to her. 

"T-thanks," she answers, a little surprised. No scream of anime thing, just a soft-spoken statement and a helping hand. Something's changed, but Pidge doesn't know what. 

She focuses back on the race, knowing how her hands just automatically move to accommodate what she needs and what she needs to do. Her index finger aches from holding down the same button for ages now, speeding forward in competition with Lance. 

"It's not supposed to be a competition, you know?" Pidge mumbles, fingers flying to nagivate. Jesus, this was one hell of a long course, she thinks, and was annoyingly imaginative with the terrain variety. She does hold her own with Lance, though. Guess all the video gaming tournaments paid off. 

"Where's the fun in no competition?" he jokes, casually slinging his upgraded powerup to an incoming drone. Pidge rolls her eyes, smirking small.

"Fine, then."

Just out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Lance grin cheekily, something that warms her inside a bit. 

No....

Her sirens blare, detecting an onslaught of pickup lines. Strangely, her sirens hadn't really been picking up much from Lance, getting more from Matt than him. And that was some really anomalous data. Lance hadn't been flirting with anyone much. 

"Is that a mirror in your anodized Titanium exterior plating? Because I can see myself in your service port."

Pidge stares ahead, flicking her fingers and trying not to burst into nervous laughter.

"Would you like a demo of my multitouch capabilities?" He delivers, voice lowering.

She tightens her lips, squinting a little more. 

Focus.

"Did you just break one of Asimov's Three Laws? Because you've got "fine" written all over you."

Oh damn. Pidge feels the blush rising in her cheeks, hot and burning, and her fingers start to fumble a little, dropping her speed quite significantly. Lance smirks happily, triumphant, speeding ahead of her. He's almost at the finish line, damnit.  

Pidge is not willing to let that slide!

She hopes that she isn't going to regret what she'll say next. She purposefully touches the side of his cheek with light touches, smiling a little. 

That grabs his attention immediately. 

"Is that a joystick you're holding or are you just happy to see me?" 

Holy fuck, Lance literally drops the controller. Pidge can't stop the laugh that jumps out of her throat as she grabs hold of the target capsule first, thrusting her controller into the air happily. Lance covers his face, rolling over on the side and tucking into fetal position. It's honestly very amusing.

"Pidge!"

She giggles, lightly brushing his cheek with her lips and bounding off, ranting something about how 'she's got a lot of work to do'. 

Lance's hand can't help but linger at his cheek, a stupidly dreamy smile on his face. 

But as he walks off, the hand drops. Falters. 

He remembers the questions. The questions that detail Pidge as in love with someone else. Is that why she so readily flirts with him, makes jokes like she never has before? Jesus, Lance doesn't know. 

Pidge deserves someone else. Someone better. 

Lance already knows he can't give her what she deserves. 

It's not supposed to make a mark on Lance, but it does. He's been getting better, honestly, but it fluctates. Nothing stays stable. Like a ball that drops in an endless maze; you never know how it's going to go. 

But the descriptions; the questions he'd played; that's not making him feel any better. There's no way that Pidge likes him. He's not stupid. She likes someone who's smart, intelligent, funny, handsome. He's none of those things. Maybe handsome. Heh. 

Or does she like him?

He's oblivious normally, but Pidge seems a lot...flirtier...than usual. Like she's interested in him. 

But they're best friends?

His feet hit harder than normal on the pavement as he heads back to the dorms, going back to change. Shiro mentioned going to the beach for some much-needed relaxation. The noise of people become white noise in his ears, the screaming of his own thoughts taking center stage.

Shiro being low-key annoyed with him for not working hard enough? Normal.

Hunk being amazing at what he did, making robots that could fucking connect and disconnect at will? Cool, but he didn't expect any less.

Keith winning everything, including the heart of the one he loved? Typical.

Pidge not thinking highly of him, stealing his goddamned heart?

That was the most surprising.

But it's okay, he's used to it. It's his job to lift others up, like an all-rounder, where he ups the overall level of a group. That's his job.

But...

What if he selfishly wants more? Super grades and a hero persona like Shiro, a kind disposition like Hunk, reciprocated love like Keith...love from Pidge? What if he wants to be the protagonist and not the comic relief?

It almost makes him cry.

"Lance!"

He looks up and sees a grinning Hunk waving to him, rapidly approaching. Lance pretends to drop his books, using the opportunity to wipe his eyes with his sleeve and collect himself.

Back to the smiling face everyone knows.

"Hunk!"

Throw it all away.

"Buddy, I'll need you to come with me to get your packing kit. Headmaster was nice enough to sponsor the ride and the team kit," Hunk reveals, pointing towards his classroom excitedly. Lance lets himself be pulled away.

Let Hunk be happy.

~~~

On the way to Pidge's room, Lance gets stopped. Shiro and Keith, interlocking arms, laughing about some stupid thing that happened in class.

"Hey, Lance!" Shiro greets. Keith quirks his mouth as a way for greeting.

"Have you guys seen where Pidge went?" They share the same class today, right?

"I think she went off with Plaxum and the gang?" Keith looks up, thinking. "Yeah, I could have sworn I saw that auburn hair amongst those mermaids."

"Seriously? Them?" No shit on Plaxum's gang, but they're not really the kind of people Pidge hangs with; they're nice, though. Just a bit too bubbly and nice for a sharp-tongued Pidge, usually.

"Yeah. They said they had something to tell her," Keith informs.

"Start packing for the the trip, Lance after we come back from the beach," Shiro reminds. "We've got to go in around a week? If you want, you and Pidge can share a room. I'll just put it under Lance and Hunk for Iverson's sake, Allura is coming as Altea's rep. Don't know how she persuaded Iverson, but it's Allura, what can we say."

Allura's coming? That'll be fun. Does that mean Hunk and Allura will be sharing?

Even more fun, they do love gossiping, especially about him.

"That would be nice," Lance answers, shrugging casually. He doesn't want to look  _too_  excited, because that might raise some eyebrows on Shiro's side.

"You look a bit down," Shiro notices, leaning closer to take a better look at Lance. Quickly, Lance puts on a smile, the one that the that they're used to.

Why does he feel so depressed today...

"Me? Down? Uh-As if!" For a moment, Lance is worried he put it on too thick, but the exasperated looks on Shiro and Keith's face reassures him. They believe it.

"Well, go tell your girlfriend the news," Keith says.

"She might be happy about that," Shiro adds in, the couple sharing a knowing smirk.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

He wishes. 

Does she want that?

"Keep telling yourself that, buddy."

~~~

The team spend their evening at the beach, with a lack of tourists in the cold weather making it quiet, peaceful, and very pleasant.

Lance dons his swim trunks paired with a meme shirt, Pidge donning a matching, large shirt that covers her swimsuit. 

It feels strange, being back at the beach. End of year assessments combined with the stress from the robotics resulted in him not being at the beach for a long, long while.

Goddamn, is he being nostalgic? He's barely even sixteen.

It's like he's flashing back to the first Voltron meeting of the year, where they'd gone to this beach.

Or to the time when he'd sat with Pidge, alone, and maybe had felt something there.

But Lance wakes up to the present, the present where all the relaxed days are gone. It's now or never.

Maybe he should tell Pidge sometime now.

"Come on!" she laughs, extending her hand to him, her other hand targeting the cold, cold waters of a normally perfect blue sea. It's an invitation. 

Lance thinks it's a scene from a movie, the two of them beautifully framed, he's going to take her hand, they're going to fall in love, kiss (and maybe go further, depending on the rating of the movie...you know...) in the waters of the sea. 

Reality, Lance. Remember the reality. 

"Since when do you like the sea?" he questions. "You've always stayed away from it."

"Maybe I like it now," she shrugs, the hint of a little smile playing on her face. Pidge looks a little, actually quite a lot happier nowadays. Maybe because everything is now in order, just like she likes it to be. "So what's it gonna be?"

_So what's it gonna be?_

_I wanna be with you._

_...I wanna be with you._

Oh wow. Out of all phrases to use...

Lance grins, eagerly taking her hand, and letting her pull him away. 

He almost swears that he sees Hunk give him a thumbs up, Allura giving him a soft, encouraging smile. Pidge yanks off her meme shirt, Lance doing the same, the two of them shucking them somewhere on the sands haphazardly. Lance isn't really looking at her until she grabs his hand again, and he is suddenly rooted to the spot, jaw dropping. 

WHY IS PIDGE SO GOSHDARN CUTE IN A TANKINI?!?!

Like, she doesn't even look shy or bashful like she might have a year ago. She's confident wearing a tankini that really fits her well...in the right places...Lance would be lying if he said he weren't checking her out. 

"See something you like?" she jokes, chuckling. "Nah, I'm just joking."

"But I do, actually," Lance says, completely serious. He wonders if his hot face, blush, gaping jaw, and wide eyes are enough to convey it, but then again Pidge isn't always the most observant when it comes to social cues. 

They head down to the waters. Lance expects Pidge to tentatively toe in. He definitely doesn't expect her to leap in like a cannonball, spraying him with enough freezing-cold water to make his body go down several hundred degrees. 

She laughs, hair wet and sticking to her back, so vibrant and happy and bright and more positive than she'd been in so, so long, that it makes Lance happy by extension. It's even pretty gorgeous; Lance has long cast away his fixation on magazine-esque sexy beauty...but GOD PIDGE LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THOSE BIKINI MODELS-

He splashes her, and she splashes him, and it escalates into a splashing war that eventually concludes with Pidge and Lance too close to be normal. 

"It's nice that you like this now," Lance says, grasping at straws for some form of conversation topic. Pidge, having to bound up and down to talk to him because of the depth of water, tries to shrug the best she can. 

"You know, people change, Shiro realizes he's not straight, I realise that the beach isn't so bad," she says nonchalantly. Her leg instinctively hooks on Lance's leg as a way of rooting herself, Lance being tall enough to actually stand and have his head above the water.

Actual character development right there, Lance thinks. 

The sun starts setting behind them, vibrant and red and bright, the pattering of the waves gentle now that they've quit their immature splashing. Lance supposes that the rest of the gang are hanging out on the dry, warmer parts of the beach, far, far away from them. It's like a scene from a movie, how the quiet waves and aesthetic sunset paint a scene of romance behind them. It's setting everything up.

And then she smiles at him, as bright as the sun illuminating her behind, and Lance knows he's fallen. He's fallen too hard. Gone are the times where he'd supposedly fallen for numerous other girls with no interest or respect for him whatsoever. Now he's absolutely smitten.

Lance isn't going to pretend that he isn't noticing how Pidge clings to him more often, or is more chill with his advances. He notices how he isn't flirty, or loud with Pidge when he actually means it. Is this what he's like when he's n love? When's he's trying for real, not flirting as a way of making himself feel a little better about himself or as a defensive shield protecting something in him that he hasn't quite figured out yet?

His hands slowly, tentatively hold her back, supporting her and keeping her from sinking, really. And slowly, with a little bit of a dazed expression, Pidge responds, her legs wrapping around his waist, bringing her so close to him...he holds her properly now, hands gripping the sides of her waist, her arms tentatively but eventually holding the back of his neck, their expressions dazed and dreamy as hell. 

It's like a scene from a movie.

It's like a scene from a movie when Pidge leans in, eyelashes fluttering. 

It's like a scene from a movie when she whispers to him, practically right in front of his face, whispering and asking him a simple question. 

"Is it me, the girl that you've fallen for?"

He freezes. 

Lance, so close to everything he's dreamed of, just has to say yes. The truth. But really...does Pidge really want this? Is this a good idea? What if this would ruin their friendship forever? Lance isn't usually one to put so much thought into something simple (not!) as love, but when he really cares...he thinks of her first. 

Pidge deserves some genius, handsome, sweet, mature, teacher's-pet, conversationally-fluent guy that would be deserving of her and would take care of her in the way that only someone self-assured would, that her mother and grandmother would approve of immediately. 

Pidge...he doesn't deserve Pidge. He can't give Pidge what she wants. What she deserves to have. 

And Lance would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. Scared of rejection, of hearing the words 'no' and a laugh thrown in his face again, and again, and again. Rejection that's been his foil over, and over again. 

He's always in and out of love, and he doesn't even know what love really is anymore, huh?

Pidge doesn't deserve  _something_  like him. 

For a moment, he contemplates saying yes, pulling her down and closing that tortuously small space between them, carry her back to the beach, lay with her on the golden sands. He thinks of doing that. 

But he doesn't. 

~~~

Is Pidge crying?

She isn't sure. 

Back feeling the sand. 

Hand on a rising and falling chest. 

Heavy breathing. Heavy heart. 

Tears flowing faster than the waters. 

Breathing so hard she feels like she'll convulse at any moment. 

Gasping, gasping, gasping, sobs, sobs, sobs, cries, cries...cries. 

Pidge isn't supposed to be like this. Cry like a broken-hearted girl, weak, dependent. 

But here she is, lying on the beach, abandoned and alone and  _lonely,_ crying out for someone, someone. 

It's so quiet...

Pidge tries to forget the way Lance had looked at her like he was finally going to take that first step, arms wrapped around each other, skin on skin, Pidge leaning down...

All a dream, a blocked-off possibility. 

Pidge is 100% crying. She's sure now. 

She isn't supposed to be crying. She's analytical, emotionless, a robot. The only intelligence she lacks is the social one. She follows the rules. She listens to what she should do. What she doesn't do is put herself in jeopardy. 

Pidge had tried to grow out of that persona, that persona she had when she first entered the Garrison years ago. Lance,  _Lance_ had kick-started that change from robot to human. Throw away Asimov's laws, his rules. The rules didn't matter. 

But without the rules, she's fallen apart. 

Maybe she needs the rules of robotics. The rules of robotics, the rules of love. Bring her back to what she used to be. 

Pidge doesn't know what to think anymore. 

All she feels is an inexplicable sadness filling her up, sounding in her bones, forcing herself to a dreamless sleep. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pidge sleeps on the beach that night.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Pining. Hell loads. And regret. And confusion,
> 
> 2) Segregated car rides are delightfully awkward and emotional,
> 
> 3) Beaches are beautiful at night, aren't they? 
> 
> "When did you become Space Dad 2, Keith?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait. Honestly. I have no excuse other than more exams. :-(
> 
> I'm sorry for that cliffhanger as well. Some people over on Wattpad thought that was the ending. Even I'm not that evil! 
> 
> Thank you to those who checked out my Big Bang submission, I'm so happy that people like it! 
> 
> Finally, I'm going to do an author's Q and A (for fun and my own self-validation/esteem) to be posted after my final chapter so comment questions you want me to answer!!! 
> 
> Thank you, and happy reading!

"Alright gang, it's time to say goodbye to Iverson and act like you're actually going to miss him," Shiro quips, loading the duffels into the trunk of his minivan. As if right on cue, Iverson appears, a look of clear and undisguised distaste on his face. Shiro stops loading the van, turning to Iverson and bowing.

"Thank you for allowing us to represent Altea, sir," Shiro says, looking straight at Iverson with steely, prideful eyes. It was like his own brand of quiet defiance.

There's a pause for a moment. Iverson sighs, adjusting his cap.

"Don't blow it," he finally says, much to the team's surprise. "Despite your team's history of misbehaviour, I'm letting you go with Allura. I know I can trust her, she was the most exemplary student during her time here. And you better respect her," Iverson adds as an afterthought, "She deserves it."

Damn straight she does. But it was also kind of funny, in Pidge's opinion, that Allura was so good at fooling Iverson. Pidge totally hadn't seen Allura happily cheer about shitting behind his back and taking them to parties every night.

A party.

Dancing.

I wanna be with you.

No.

Iverson walks away after giving the team a small smile, bemusing everyone.

It was also funny, seeing Matt having to say bye to Allura, Allura providing him with something much lengthier than necessary...but who was Pidge to judge, right?

Pidge stands at the side, folded arms and leaning on Shiro's car. The plan was to split the Paladins between two cars, Shiro's minivan and Allura's car, a Pink Camaro.

Thankfully, Hunk had the foresight to suggest splitting her and Lance up, citing 'disgusting flirting' as the reason.

It hadn't been a joke, right? Keith had said he liked her. Hunk said he liked her. Shiro said he liked her. Allura said he liked her. Even Plaxum had said he liked her, just that day. And she just couldn't wait. It had been so long, how could she wait any longer?

But he doesn't. Doesn't like her.

Ditched her in the sea, Pidge hating herself for every moment she watched him sprint out, for every time she dared to look back at him.

Thank god for the sea, the sea that hid her tears so well.

Her stolen glances tell her that Lance isn't happy either. He's sulking, or looking some form of depressed, standing and leaning on the side of the car.

Pidge thought she might have had a chance.

Maybe she's jumping to conclusions? It wasn't an outright rejection, right? He had just said that he had to go.

A good way to excuse himself to laugh away from her at such a good joke, probably, the thought of such a possibility.

Pidge isn't sure, but she was foolish to think that someone like him would like her in that way. She was foolish for liking someone like him.

Why the hell had she thought that confessing right before the competition was a good idea?

Pidge had spent the last few days before departure throwing herself into work devoid of distraction (i.e: Lance) and improving every little detail she could about the robot; could it move faster? Could it do the job even a little better?

Without Lance distracting her with his smile and laugh and goddamn-shut up, Pidge, focus- Pidge could concentrate much better, but the work was admittedly a lot more boring than it had been while she was (sitting on) working with him in the late nights. 

Why does it feel like a breakup when they were never together?

~~~

Why had he said it?

Why did he give up the girl he'd loved for so long?

Right, because she deserves better than what he is; a flirt, mediocre programmer, bad student, hyperactive, an overconfident braggart. She deserves someone else without a doubt. 

But had she been hurt by it?

That's the bigger question. 

Because Lance never, ever wants to hurt Pidge in any way. He'd protect her at any costs, but if he ever made her pained, her heart ache...he would hate himself. 

Lance kicks at the stones on the pavement beside Allura's car, where he would ride with her and Hunk. Pidge, Shiro and Keith were going in Shiro's minivan. Thankfully he would not be sitting nearby her; who knows how fucking awkward it would be having to endure such a long trip. 

Lance maybe, maybe regrets what he said, just a little. He regrets giving her up, but it was for the greater good-her own good-right? She'll see what he meant.

Maybe it was even a small, little fear of relationships.

It's not like he's exactly had a strong romantic relationship before. He totally didn't have his heart broken by so many girls that, surprise surprise, didn't actually like him back.

He trusts Pidge, but his brain is screwing with him and screaming too.

Shiro slams the trunk of his van down with a loud bang, locked and loaded.

"We ready to go yet?"

"Yeah," everyone says in unison, rather boredly. This isn't the normal response. This isn't how Voltron would have said it. It would have been enthusiastic, bright, excited.

Perhaps everyone can sense the tension. The tension of what had transpired. Kind of painful. Terrible timing.

Lance gets in Shiro's car wordlessly, throwing a final longing glance Pidge's way.

~~~

"Pidge-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Keith and Shiro sigh, Shiro looking at the sixteen-year old girl genius from the rearview mirror. Pidge leans on the window, emo music that even Keith wouldn't touch blasting from her headphones loud enough for the rest to hear.

But her face, painted tired and worried, is the biggest sign.

"What did Lance do?"

Pidge doesn't answer, staring straight ahead.

Keith has some ideas, why two lovey dovey kids running around the beach to hidden places go from such a strong friendship to this mutilated mess now.

Pidge is heartbroken for the first time, and she doesn't want to admit it.

"Look, Pidge, I know what it's like to feel rejected. I mean, we all thought Shiro was the most heterosexual being in existence-"

"-uh HEY-"

"-shh Shiro-anyway, yes. I thought he was into one of those girls that always threw themselves at him. I mean, what was there not to like? But it turns out Shiro was just feeling insecure, unsure, untrusting."

Sounds exactly like Lance, the Lance on the inside, the one that has more substance and personality than he shows everyone else.

Also, Shiro is strangely quiet throughout all this. As if Keith is digging out memories of his that Shirl never really heard about.

Pidge, like the analyst she is, came up with so many theories relating to Lance. Why was Lance such a flirt, even when he wasn't really into the people he flirted with? Why does she love someone so different to her ideal? Why does she continue to love him even when he doesn't love her back?

Is it true love when you don't stop loving someone, even if they don't return the feelings? Unconditional love?

Pidge isn't ready for that kind of commitment.

Rule #3: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The phrase jumps into Pidge's mind all of a sudden. It's crazy how much it would fit into context.

Lance had changed her so much, for better and for worse. More for better

But unconditional love would threaten her very existence.

Pidge had always found it easier to think of herself as a machine, something inhuman and incapable of feelings, rather than as a human being. Human beings are unpredictable. Destructive. Hurtful. Computers and robots are structure, orderly, never with a problem.

That was beautiful to Pidge.

But that had all changed, huh? Pidge had tasted humanity, and it was great.

"I never thought Keith liked me in that way. And when he would get angry, or defensive, I thought I was done for. Keith would never love me back. But he did," Shiro pitches it, not taking his eyes off the long span of road ahead.

"I think what we're getting to here is that you two should be completely honest with each other. Sit down, talk, work things out," Keith offers, looking at Pidge with concern. He doesn't think he's seen her look so depressed before.

"When did you become Space Dad 2, Keith?" Pidge groans. The little remark, reply, a jab at Keith, reassures him.

"Since I started dating the OG Space Dad. You've got gay dads, Pidge, get used to the adoption," Keith follows up. Adoption. Ahaha, isn't he great with that, he thinks bitterly.

"Two fathers?! I'm so doomed!" Pidge rolls her eyes, offering a little chuckle and slipping back into her silent state, the music switching from rock to quiet piano music.

...is this still Pidge next to him, Keith wonders?

~~~

"So, Lance, what exactly did you do to beat yourself up like this?" Allura starts off as cheerily as she could, anticipating a sudden fall in mood.

Lance, earphones poked in, leans back on his chair with eyes closed peacefully. Hunk, sitting beside him, knows he's not asleep. He's ignoring. Lance never plays his music so loud that he wouldn't listen to them. And even if he was...well, that would still be amazingly uncharacteristic.

Goddamnit.

"He's not answering," Hunk poignantly points out, shrugging.  It had obviously been something to do with Pidge, judging by how his buddy had been when he'd returned from the beach-without her. And proceeded to declare he was moving back into his room temporarily.

"Tell him that I don't want to pressure him lot anything, but I kind of already know what happened anyway," Allura hollers purposefully loudly from the front, not looking happy when she says it.

"Pidge is great, but I'm not," Lance summarises, keeping his eyes shut.

"Not what?"

"Not great."

Lance says it so simply, but the little changes in his expression tell Hunk everything.

Hunk catches a glimpse of Allura's face through the mirror, frowning and clenched up.

Maybe she feels a little guilty? It's been umpteen times when she's rebuffed him, sometimes harshly and sometimes not. Allura never saw what Lance was like behind every rejection, from Plaxum in first year to Plaxum's friends, to Nyma in second and third, and countless others in between.

Hunk knows it's not that Lance is fickle or disloyal, or a flirt. He just wants to be validated, maybe? Ever since he's known Lance, since that second year, he's always tried to go after girls, using stupid pick-up lines, smiles, occasional bribery. It's never worked. 

Sometimes people asked Lance out, in the same way he would ask them. And it hurt Hunk, seeing how his buddy would light up and nod happily, only to be laughed at and be made into a joke; rejected. 

Pidge is the first girl that changed him, that he hasn't had that treatment from, that he hasn't treated like that, Hunk realises with a start. The first girl to love him back.

"Pidge sure thinks you're great," Hunk pitches in, smiling a little at Lance. "You haven't heard her when you're not in the room."

Really? She must go off on a tangent on how annoying and how crappy a coding partner he is. But they have had their fair share of 'moments'.

Lance sighs, shaking his head.

"Look, I went into a panic there, I don't know what you know, but I'll tell it from me; I panicked, and I didn't know what to do."

If he hurt Pidge, he'd hate himself. Even more than he does now.

Hunk just sighs, much like Lance had.

"I thought all the flirting would have taught you something, friend," he starts, patting a startled Lance on the back. Allura cocks an eyebrow, curious.

"If you're not confident, if you're not going to see anything through, you're going to fall to the ground harder than you did for Pidge."

~~~

Check-in is fast. Probably because it's a small corner of the town (and a small corner, actually) and it's very, very late at night. 

"Three rooms, two singles in each please."

It's a little questionable, the small motel owner, but they'll make do. Take the keys, thank the manager, settle in. 

The hotel (motel, more like) is small, dingy, and the bed is kind of missing a leg, but at least it was really close to the school. They could even walk. The best part was that it's near the beach, a very nice and quiet one, if you're willing to walk through a moderately long expanse of trees, jungle, and cross a road. 

They weren't about to spend money on some hyper-expensive hotel with an amazing swimming pool; this wasn't Spiderman Homecoming, they're just a bunch of teenagers on a low-budget academic competition trip.

Allura slides into the bed opposite Pidge's. 

It's supposed to be Lance there, a little voice says in her head, supposed to be Lance, Lance her best friend. 

But it's not. 

"Goodnight, Pidge."

Pidge murmurs a quiet goodnight, stuffing her whole body and half her face under the blanket. Hopefully her hair can shield herself from Allura's gaze. 

"Night."

"And Pidge? I know I'm overstepping my bounds, but I'd like to give you a little piece of advice."

Pidge doesn't answer, which is enough space for Allura to continue. 

"Remember how Lance is like, especially when he's insecure. Remember what he does, and think that maybe he didn't mean to hurt you. You know that he doesn't always think straight."

She falls asleep soon after, which Pidge can't begrudge her for, considering she'd been driving for nearly five hours (she totally would have driven with/for Allura, and Allura totally would have let her, but some rule-freak with motion sickness had stopped that dream from becoming a reality..."God, Pidge, you don't have a license and you said you'd drive us backwards with your eyes closed!")

It's only a few minutes of silence and solitude that Pidge starts to ache. She's not used to this. She's used to sleeping late, staying up with someone, never feeling alone. To wrapping their legs together, sharing the warmth that she doesn't have right now, fall asleep lying on him. 

Genuinely, for a while, Pidge had believed maybe Lance loved her too. 

She hates feeling so dependent, vulnerable. Just because Lance happened to be someone who made an effort to accompany her, to care for her while everyone is her life was leaving her, like Dad, like Mum, like Matt, doesn't mean she needs to be so hung up on him. 

Hell...it does. 

Allura's not exactly a light sleeper, so slipping out is easy.

~~~

Something pulled Lance to the beach. 

He doesn't know what time he walks, jogs, runs down, his mind focused and determined. But something pulls him back to the beach, tracing him through the expanses of forest and trees. 

Back to the sands and waves he so loves. 

It's so beautiful, the darkly coloured scene illuminated with gentle moonlight, the sound of waves relaxing to Lance's ears.

Lance had expected to have no company so late at night, but he sees a single figure crouched, sitting on the beautiful, clean beach. Her ponytail tickles her leg, eyes just above her knees and gazing up at the stars. 

Pidge. He knows her anywhere. 

Look how they shine for her, huh? The stars. She's like a star. 

God, he sounds so lovesick. 

He's always been lovesick. Isn't that his problem? Falling in and out of love as fast as he could. 

Maybe Hunk was right. Maybe he needs to see this through, give the story an ending. He owes Pidge an explanation, a confession, the truth. Not his honesty blurred behind filters of insecurity and anxiety and legitimate worries. Confusion. 

For a moment he considers going down there. Talking to her. 

He doesn't. 

He doesn't know how long he just stands there, watching her, watching and listening to the gentle waves, his only comfort without the girl he loves. 

~~~

The waves are oddly calming, just going back and forth, back and forth...hypnotic. Even the sound alone was therapeutic. Little splashes, the little grains of sand shifting 

Something pulled Pidge to the beach this night. Maybe it was her inability to sleep, her ache, her loneliness. But she's here now, crouched and sitting on the sand, tucking her face behind her legs. 

She's always associated the beach with Lance. Always. The Boy from Cuba, 'just a boy from Cuba', he would say. So much more than just a boy from Cuba. 

She thinks of the beach. 

And somehow, she doesn't feel so alone. 

~~~

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My children deserve better :-(
> 
> (perhaps checking the chapter count might be a good idea ;-)


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Pidge is sad...but robotics. roBOTICS,
> 
> 2) Allura is well-meaning as usual.
> 
> 3) Lance has an interesting dream. 
> 
> "Allura, I'm underage, nerdy, and antisocial."
> 
> "You're also fifteen, amazing, and in a legal, alcohol-free teenage club."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, check it out! 25 chapters planned as the total! :-)
> 
> This took a while to write. But in all honesty...I've been writing the final few chapters all together. Just so I can really do this right. 
> 
> Enjoy!

"Welcome to the National FIRST Robotics Tri-Challenge Tournament: Intergalatica!"

"Holy  _shit_ ," Pidge breathes out, awed, a lot more energetic than he usually was, bounding on his feet, looking everywhere excitedly with childlike wonder. Team Voltron walks into the bazaar-style foyer of the College where the tournament is being held, filled with booths promoting robotic scholarships and workshops, at the back their target; the registration. "I actually, genuinely, honestly, totally cannot believe we made it here."

While Allura and Shiro wheel Voltron and go to register at the booth, Pidge takes the opportunity to wander around the maze of stalls and promotions. 

It manages to take her mind of Lance, even if only temporarily. 

For Pidge, attending such an event was already further than she thought she'd ever get. Now, surrounded by all these intelligent, creative, imaginative people and inspirations, Pidge just can't take it all in. 

She watches another team wheel by an impressively structured robot. Another wheels in one that's almost as multicolored as Voltron itself, Pidge laughs.

But the robot that really catches her eye is the one being wheeled by the intimidating couple of the tall, hulking man, sharp teeth and piercing eyes, and the willowy, haggard looking girl standing beside him, her hand on his arm. So confident.

Most distinctively are the tattoos on their shoulder and the parallel purple streaks painted on their cheeks as if this was a sporting event.

These are the Galra Robotics Club's leaders, Pidge realises with a start. Undefeated since they put down Voltron. Undefeated.

Pidge hopes they don't see her.

Like a king and queen with a procession of minions following behind them, they wheel a gorgeous, purple-grey mecha with eight piercing wings, the body decorated lavishly with glowing streaks of white.

It looks so professional, so powerful, that Pidge is almost immediately put out. She's heard of the Galra, the money they have, the tech they use being so much better than so many other teams. In comparison to them, Voltron seems paltry; like a circus.

Pidge spots a stall marketing cute little robotic sharks that swim in pools, like a child's toy. Almost instinctively, her mouth starts to form the word 'Lance'.

She sees him, Lance, but she doesn't call him.

Pidge buys the shark.

~~~

"Okay, Team, the first two events are happening over the next two days, mostly because they're running both of them at the same time and it's not exactly direct competition. Also, there's not too large a competition; or audience for that matter, because this is one of the smaller national tournaments," Shiro reads off, Allura curiously peering over his shoulder and reading the provided team pamphlets.

"Then why the hell are the Galra here?" Keith questions.

"They're here because they knew we were coming," Allura quietly mutters, arms folded, in deep thought. "I'm surprised they haven't trash talked me yet, but then again it's never really been their style. They just like ruining me when I least expect it."

"I'll make sure they don't do anything to you," Lance assures Allura, smiling resolutely. Allura nods in silent thanks, but shoots an almost immissible glance at Pidge.

Pidge clenches her jaw, her fist, and looks back down at her phone. Hunk immediately raises his eyebrows, shooting looks at the rest of the team.

Pidge hates this. See what happens when she falls in love for maybe the first time? Everyone looks at her like she's some new science specimen, she breaks her heart.

More like Lance breaks her heart.

Why did she have to fall for him, of all people, someone she knew was a heart breaker?

"It's quite a short competition, isn't it?" Pidge observes. "Three days of competition only."

"I think they'd rather that it doesn't take so long," Shiro shrugs. "Better for us, we don't need to pay so much on rooming. So anyway, tomorrow we start with the obstacle course. The next is the sentient challenge. The final round tomorrow takes so goddamn long to run...robot fighting..."

Pidge doesn't really listen to the rest of Shiro's lecture. She'll figure it out later, and it's uninteresting as hell.

Actually, maybe it's that she's only thinking of the boy in blue opposite her. 

~~~

It's the night before the competition, so Pidge doesn't understand why Allura is dragging her off to god-knows where. Maybe it's to de-stress? That doesn't stop her from bugging Allura about where she's being taken to. 

Moments later, she has her answer. 

"Where are we?"

Shit, Pidge hasn't seen this many good-looking guys in one place before. And girls, for that matter. All of whom seem pretty preoccupied with each other, frankly. 

 Allura giggles as if drunk, giving Pidge a wink.

"Girls night out! Let's enjoy it."

Now she understands why Allura was grinning. Geez.

"Allura, I'm underage, nerdy, and antisocial."

"You're also fifteen, amazing, and in a legal, alcohol-free teenage club," Allura shoots back, emphasising the last part. "Besides, I always thought you were a rule-breaker."

"Not this way."

_Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics-_

Allura doesn't hesitate to let the boys know that she's already with someone (firstly, Allura hates the word  _taken_ , and with Matt?! Who would have guessed?!) and sits down at the counter, pulling out her phone and shooting Pidge a wink.

This better not be Allura's way of throwing her into a (very) stressful situation to prepare her for an increasing amount of stressful situations soon to come. 

 _Goddamn_.

"Have fun!"

Pidge realises with a start that she's left alone in a swarm of teenagers. Is Allura crazy?! Pidge isn't some kind of hyper-social teenager that is just able to talk to anyone, talking to Lance on that-stop thinking about Lance-on that first day was already a miracle and the fact that she actually made friends that stuck is already a miracle dear god and the fact that she managed to let herself go enough to like someone-

"Sorry-excuse me-sorry!"

Pidge jolts, a guy accidentally bumping right into her from behind. She flips around, observing the offender. About her height, wearing glasses, dressed in flannel and seems as remarkably awkward looking as her. He rubs the back of his neck nervously, blinking with wide eyes at Pidge. 

Hey. 

He's kinda...cute?

"Uh, hi?" Pidge echoes. She shoots a glare at Allura, who seems to start giggling from the side. Yeah, she's totally not calling Matt right now...

"Are you also forced here by a well-meaning friend?" the boy asks, seeming a little less nervous with Pidge's greeting. A little startled at his perceptiveness, Pidge nods. 

"Yeah, well, I'm not looking for  _that_ ," she emphasizes, making it clear. "You know what I mean?

"Yeah, same," he says in quiet reply. "I'm just here because they've forced me too."

Does he really mean that, Pidge wonders? Pidge isn't the most outwardly attractive, though she is pretty, so she wonders what this boy is thinking-what did Lance think when he first saw her, she wonders? Did he see her as someone likable in that sense?

Stop thinking about Lance, Pidge. Stop. Don't care about what he thinks. 

"Why don't we sit down?" Pidge offers a smile, pointing at a relatively cosy booth at the side before she regrets it. "I'm Pidge, by the way."

~~~

The boy, nicknamed Beezer apparently, is actually quite pleasant. And intelligent. They sit down in the booth, ignoring the sweaty grinding going on in the center of the room, favouring a quiet conversation in front of Pidge's snuck-in laptop and a plate of fries. 

Pidge totally isn't working on the programming. Yeeeep. 

"I think you're missing a comma there-hey, if you added the loop/repeat function here, it might make your life a whole lot easier," Beezer suggest, pointing at her screen, a tomato covered fry stuck in his mouth. Pidge nods quietly, making a face of approval, quickly fixing the mistakes that Beezer locates with serious robot-like speed. How the fuck-god, programming with him reminds her of how she would spend late nights programming with a certain Lance-there isn't the same cuddling and intimacy here, though-STOP IT PIDGE GOD.

Beezer seems like the typical boy that Pidge would have loved to find, probably would have had a crush on in her middle-aged years. Smart, quiet, quietly snarky and witty, sarcastic, sweet, polite, perfectly charming. Not like Lance. Nothing like Lance.

But Pidge, this current Pidge, can't find herself attracted to Beezer, no matter how much she wants to. She likes him as a person; he's pretty awesome, frankly...but she can't. Pidge wants to like him. But she doesn't. Not in that way.

Even when he smiles at her, points out everything, makes jokes that she actually finds a little amusing, Pidge feels nothing. Pidge doesn't feel the little butterflies in her stomach, the tingly feeling in her cheeks and chest, the little lightheartedness in her head. 

Only Lance has ever made her weak like that. She savours the feeling, embarrassingly. 

Fuck, is she going to end up comparing every guy to  _Lance?_

She hopes Beezer isn't disappointed when she excuses herself, writing her number and a happy little memo beside the number ("thanks for being a friend and thanks for a fun night :-) ") just so he has the right idea. Excuses herself, tells Allura that she's had enough, that they should go back before it's too late. Allura agrees. And it's already pretty damn late. 

On the ride home, where they're both quiet, Allura messaging Matt (god, they never stop, do they?) Pidge questions everything. 

Does she still have feelings for him?

Yes.

It would be a lie to say they could disappear in a day. 

She's always thought that if you loved someone, really loved someone, then you would love them even past complete rejection. Still care, still love. 

She's been rejected, and she still loves. 

What does he feel right now?

Suddenly, her phone buzzes, and Pidge is stunned.

~~~

Lance tries to forget about her. Tries to forget it all.

Shiro manages to convince Pidge and Allura to go off and enjoy themselves while the boys work on finetuning the machine (Pidge had protested sexism, Shiro protested they had done most of the brainwork anyway. Shiro was right, obviously. ).

So he tries to make sure everything is perfect. He secures the lion's infrastructure with Shiro, helps Hunk double check the neurotransmitters, fixes up the wiring with Keith. Most importantly, he gives the lions another paint job.

He tells Hunk to do the green lion for him. Hunk doesn't question him. 

Shiro was obviously just trying to keep Pidge and Lance away from each other, obviously for the best. Shiro's right, of course. She doesn't even need to practice, she already worked so hard at home. Typical Pidge. Always great.  Pidge shouldn't have to see him every hour, minute, second of the competition. She doesn't deserve that. 

Lance spends the night playing with Blue after Hunk falls asleep. Learning how to make her jump, spin, a lot better than he previously could. Learns little tricks that might help with the first obstacle challenge tomorrow.

It's like playing with a little part of Pidge, something that reminds him of her. And he can't help the little smile, wistful face.

Suddenly, he sees Pidge standing in front of him, smiling. Hair in a ponytail, dressed in her favourite green shirt and jeans, freckled, bespectacled face glowing happily.

It seems like the hotel room just melts away, and they're alone somewhere in the universe. Just the two of them.

Lance stands up, walks in front of her.  She smiles, looking up at him like she always has to. He reaches forward, muttering about helping her with 'the anime thing'.

She cups his face with her hand, looking at him, guiding him to let his arms fall around her waist. She's warm.

He imagines that they're talking in their own little witty way, teasing, filled with little grins and little smiles. 

Pidge tiptoes a little, smiling as if she was laughing at one of his stupid jokes. Lance smiles too, because, well, it's Pidge. She makes him smile all the time. 

He loves her, what else is there to say? It's because he loves her that he has to let her go. He's only ever going to hold her back. She deserves to fly sky high, because she's a star-Pidge can do that. Lance loves her, so he has to let her go. 

Pidge nudges him, looking up at him. Her look at him suddenly changes. Like it goes from a friendly grin...to something else.  

It's everything he's ever dreamt of, really. Their noses brush, because they're that close, you know? Lance can feel her breath, warm and comforting, Lance snaking his arm tighter around her. 

He leans in. 

And suddenly, he's back in the grey hotel bed, beside a sleeping Hunk, blue lion on the floor. No Pidge.

No Pidge.

Suddenly, Lance feels very, very alone.

He wants the dream to be real. The dream where he can kiss Pidge, love Pidge, let the rest of the world fall away. But it's not. 

Maybe it's the dream helps him realise that Pidge is unforgettable. Maybe he knew it all along.

But he's not sure what gives him the courage to pick up his phone.

Open messenger.

He takes in a deep breath, typing.

**Pidge Gunderson**

Lance McClain: Hi.

_Pidge Gunderson is typing..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading that. 
> 
> The end is near...
> 
> (I'm running a Q and A where all the answers will be posted upon me publishing Chapter 25. Hop on to Wattpad, where I'm also HunterWizard, to ask me literally anything!)


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Day 1 of competition; chaos ensues, as you may expect,
> 
> 2) Shiro has to pay up for cup noodles, 
> 
> 3) Tentative chat rooms, messages, and a meeting set up.
> 
> "NO WE'RE NOT, SHIRO, YOU RAY OF GODDAMN SUNSHINE-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise i wasn't dead. Here's a new chapter! Please don't hate me for being so slow guys! :/ (i totally didn't sign up for Lance and Pidge bangs...)
> 
> My Q and A is still open! Just drop a comment :)

Day one: obstacle course is supposed to be easy. Easy-peasy! This stage tests the varied abilities and functionalities of the robot. Say, if it had to go solve and fix up the damage from an intergalactic war, would it fail or succeed? Just an example, by the way.

This year, the course is rather interesting; a gigantic, arena style course

(Pidge, though she loves this new theme, is a little put out. It's like the competition is simultaneously trying to keep up with trends by making the obstacle course based on a FPS mission on a space-esque space ship that Pidge imagines is run by a bunch of evil purple alien invaders-damn cool, but damn nontraditional).

It's stunningly high tech, with a beautifully crafted and realistic course, electronic correspondence map that Shiro's watching,  webcams in the course that track their progress for the judges' viewing and a virtual 'commander' that gives them their instructions. 

It's strange how they separate the whole team in little rooms, close enough not to interrupt their signal to the robot and the signal for their communication. But it's still strange. Is it because they're one of the only teams with multiple controllers?

But right now, this beautiful, beautiful map starts to look like a fucking nightmare. 

(Their nerves had definitely not been helped by the fact that no other team had actually completed the mission other than coming unnervingly close, and they're the second last to compete) 

What's that splashing sound?

"MOVE IT!" Pidge hollers, passionately buttonsmashing her controller. "MOVE IT!"

"PIDGE, I'M ALREADY GOING AS FAST AS I CAN!"

"OH MY GOD GUYS, I THINK I'M GOING TO THROW UP-"

"-NOT NOW, HUNK-"

"-JUST A LITTLE BIT LEFT GUYS, WE'RE ALMOST THERE-"

"NO WE'RE NOT, SHIRO, YOU RAY OF GODDAMN SUNSHINE-"

"-EXCUSE ME FOR BEING AN OPTIMIST-"

"-EXCUSED-"

"LANCE, YOU NEED TO APPLY MORE PRESSURE ON THE NUB THERE, IT'S NOT GOING TO OPEN ITSELF-"

"-STOP MAKING SEXUAL INNUENDOS PIDGE-"

"-SHUT UP!-"

"-Everyone, quiet!"

Shiro's calm, commanding tone calms down the group immediately, surprisingly enough. Shiro glares, a rarity from the otherwise even-tempered leader.

"We need to relax."

This thought is immediately put out when Shiro sees the multitude of bots blinking on the map incoming from the ALL SIDES SURROUNDING THEM. 

"RUN!"

Pidge wants to scream, throw away her controller, just jump in the pool and manually move Voltron. But none of those actions are feasible.

What is that goddamn splashing sound?!

The first obstacle had been easy enough. All they did was break through a door, Pidge providing most of the hacking expertise. The next bit was mostly defending against these little menial droids that annoy Pidge as much as they do in actual gaming; one whack and they're out. 

But this...

Where the hell is the data vault?

And then Lance had gone and triggered the goddamn alarms, setting most of the drone population on their tail. 

Time to die, in other words. 

See, if only Lance had not distracted her all the time, maybe she could have stopped him from moving his thumb to the left. 

Pidge, not having much to do as the other arm while Keith and Shiro are dazzling with the sword, takes time to think. 

They got past the door. 

They got past the bots (well, a work in progress). 

She can guess what's left. 

1) Find the crypt,

2) Hack the crypt,

3) Obtain the information,

4) Probably fight a mega boss on the way out,

5) Extraction.

But of course, she can't know until Commander Lexa or whatever her name was tells them what to do. Right now, she's dormant. 

Pidge is suddenly aware that she's the only one still button mashing, everyone else staring at her. Right. The droids are all dead. Why did they even panic, again?

Silently, without another look, Pidge quietly walks Voltron over to a console to reset the alarms. No more droid alarms for awhile. 

From across the room she catches a glimpse of the boy in blue. 

She locks eyes with Lance, who she just notices is staring at her with wide-eyes.

"What?" she snaps rather harshly out of reflex, and he turns away immediately, as if ashamed. 

Shit. 

But her mind fixates on his eyes. Blue. So blue... oceans? Water, water splashes...splashing! She heard splashing! Water! Every challenge before this involved a water terrain to test the mobility, resistance and ability of the robot in water!

"Shiro!" Pidge blurts out, lunging forward. "It's-It's in water! Find the water source on the map! There's got to be one!" 

Shiro doesn't disappoint. 

"Yes, there's one! A pipe straight ahead and to the right, leading down to an underground pool. Why?"

"We need to go in there-trust me on this, but the data crypt has got to be in there."

Pidge doesn't know how she gets the whole team on her side, but she does; before she even comprehends it, Lance and Hunk make Voltron bolt forward and run. 

She spies Lance from across the room. 

He smiles. Small. But it's a smile. It's like one of those smiles that he used to give her that says 'I'm proud of you'. Is he proud of her?

He mouths "Good job."

Pidge feels a familiar flush. 

She swore that she got over it. She swore. 

She smiles back. 

~~~

Lance is trying to appear calm, especially since he's a)being marginally televised, and b)on an intercom with people that hear everything, but his heart is pumping. 

Maybe he can still make things right. 

"Lance? LANCE!" 

"-Uh-um-sorry!"

"-You need to activate *water-mode* now," Hunk reminds, voice sparkling at saying water-mode, strangely. 

Right. Hunk hella loves being a leg. 

"Roger that, sir," Lance bites back playfully. 

After a while of robot-swimming, and Lance is thankful that the robot is holding up against the water-based environment, he smiles. Really big. Pidge was right. 

The crypt is in front of them. 

"YES YES YES YES OH MI GOD THAT'S WHERE IT WAS-"

Pidge raises an eyebrow at Lance's reaction, chuckling softly, small grin appearing (and quickly disappearing).

Lance freezes up. 

CUTE. 

But he can't afford to think like that anymore.

He isn't the only one freaking out. The whole team is freaking out, actually, because it took a lot of teams a lot longer to figure out the crypt location. 

Well, Lance thinks, obviously they're above the average. They have Pidge. 

Pidge, Pidge, Pidge. 

He shouldn't be thinking of this right now, but he's so happy that she isn't ready to kill him-yet-. 

The crypt nears them, a tower that clearly blinks and glows like only a data crypt would. And Voltron steps in, illuminated like a superhero in a movie with the tower's light glowing behind it. 

But wait...

This entrance isn't exactly what they had hoped for, because; 

1) Alarms start blaring AGAIN, namely because that's what generally happens when they decide to just bust into a guarded data crypt,

2) Pidge can see every drop of sweat on Shiro when she sees the alarms start to flare and all the doors shutting down,

3) A big-ass black spider thing with four arms and a glowy, round and bald face suddenly emerges in the center, immediately blocking their clear path to the control panel. 

In other words...

"SHIT!"

~~~

It takes Pidge T-minus 5 seconds to realise that they are absolutely, totally fucked. Voltron already had bits of it knocked out by the menial minions that had so delightfully hacked at the robot's body. How annoying, huh?

The spider's face glows like some kind of monster in a movie. The belly glows like there's...like there's something they have to obtain.

"Paladins," Commander Lexa blares out, the sudden sharp voice making Pidge jump out of her seat. "Your final task is to obtain the golden liquid, quintessence, attached on the underside of the monster. The quintessence is the only thing that will allow you to escape the building." The transmission clicks, and all Pidge hears is heavy breathing from Hunk, quiet thoughtful mumbling from Keith, and nothing from Lance.

Well, shit. Pidge just wanted to run.

"All right, folks. It looks like we're dealing with something pretty formidable at the moment," Shiro's calm, collected voice comes through. "But if we work together as a team, we can beat this thing."

Since when did he get so...composed? Such a changed from the panicked leader they had earlier. Maybe he's finally trying to pull himself together, at least for the team's sake.

"YEAH!" the four other teenagers yell in response. She hears Shiro laugh quietly, somewhat proudly, and suddenly she's filled with a desire to fight.

Voltron squares itself up, facing the space monster.

And all of a sudden, it's right in front of them, screeching.

Pidge feels like it's some kind of wicked tango between them and the monster, like Tarantella (ha ha ha, Lance...) when they dodge and twist and bonk the monster on the head. But it's so damn strong but Pidge is wondering what the hell they've built it out of.

"Guys!" Keith yells, annoyed, after their possibly fiftieth hit on various points of the monster, never really able to reach the quintessence that is protects so well. "We need another plan!"

Pidge stops to think.

She has to kick all thoughts of her interesting message exchange last night out of her head. Now is NOT the time for Lance McClain to be worming himself into her head. NOPE.

...they don't have to actually kill the monster, right?

Pidge brightens.

"Okay, look, there's five of us right?" she yells, swinging her robot to smack it on the face. Gosh, if only these robots had those health bars. This thing looks invincible!

"Yeah, your point?"

"You guys have to make the robot distracted from the top," Pidge starts, not really met with any approval initally. "It's probably not that smart, I'm guessing. It's programmed to whack and whack and whack. So what we do, we make it aim for us at the top, so it reaches up for us-"

"-it exposes its stomach and we can get the quintessence," Lance finishes for her, looking up at her, awed.

Pidge fights the blush, but she doubts he can see it from all the way over here.

"That's-that's a pretty good idea, Pidge. Okay team, Lance, Hunk, activate the thrusters. We need to fly up..."

Pidge blanks out. She can't hear Shiro.

Lance is looking at her with exaggerated expression, and suddenly it feels like the old days.

LANCE: How the hell did you figure it out?

PIDGE: I was inspired by how dumb you are. Figured it worked for the monster too.

Pidge bites her tongue, pretending not to notice as Lance looks downwards, then shifts his gaze back to focusing on Voltron.

Does he really think he can get away with breaking her heart and act like nothing even happened? Pidge hates him, almost hates him for it.

But she can never truly hate him, you know?

Voltron flies up, pushed into the air by the powerful thrusters activated by the legs, Lance and Hunk, flying out of the monster's range. They can't hit it, it can't hit them. So it looks confused for a while; as if it's saying '"what the hell?"

And then, as it's horrendous face lunges towards them with open jaws, Pidge screams, and Lance slams the Blue Lion into its face, sending it flying backwards.

With perfect co-ordination, the team flies Voltron down at the speed of light, Pidge finally locking on the precious quintessence.

"Yeah! All right!" the team cheers. "Woo!"

"Sure good thing that's over," Lance remarks. "Now, Pidge, are you hacking the panels?"

Furious, but also admittedly slightly, slightly proud, Pidge scoffs and goes to hack the door as fast as she can.

~~~

"Good job, Paladins of Voltron. You have completed the mission."

Commander Lexa clicks off.

~~~

Of course, their clever move leads them to successful extraction and being one of only four teams (out of many, many more, which comes as a big surprise to the whole-insecure-team) to successfully obtain the quintessence and extract from the mission.

They celebrate with cup noodles in Shiro's room.

Pidge and Lance sit opposite each other.

Allura's cheering, and talking about how she always knew they could do it. And Pidge knows that's not a lie; Allura is honestly the best cheerleader, and their best inspiration.

Shiro laughs sheepishly when Keith, Hunk, Pidge and Lance quickly realise that "oh, shit, if we didn't succeed we wouldn't have passed to the next round of competition! Obviously our team leader would have known that...SHIRO!"

"Yeah, yeah," he fends them off. "But regardless, you guys would have fought your hardest to succeed, and look! We're in the top four, so we're going on to the next round. You guys should be proud of yourselves."

Pidge's eyes slowly look up to Lance, who raises his eyebrows inquisitively.

LANCE: You did well.

Pidge doesn't respond.

"Yeah!" Pidge quickly looks away, redirecting her gaze. , grinning brightly in Shiro, and the team's direction. "We did do well, didn't we? I think we deserve a second round of cup noodles paid for by the leader who withheld information from his team. Those in favour?"

Shiro groans, already digging for his wallet.

~~~

LANCE.

Pidge Gunderson: why did you run away at the beach?

Lance McClain: I left. I didn't run. 

Pidge Gunderson: .

Lance McClain: Look. Pidge...you know me better than any of them. 

Pidge Gunderson: Correct. Your point?

Lance: This is a conversation that I don't want to have with you over the phone. 

-Pidge Gunderson set username as PIDGEON-

-Lance McClain set username as AQUAMAN-

PIDGEON: Try me. 

AQUAMAN: Meet me tomorrow, at the beach, the night before Round 3, assuming we get that far.

PIDGEON: Obviously we will. 

AQUAMAN: That's the spirit ;-)

PIDGEON: No winky faces at me, heathen. 

AQUAMAN: Geez, Pidge, what did I do?

PIDGEON: Do you really want me to answer that question?

AQUAMAN: No, no no, but you'll meet me rite?

PIDGEON: Hmm. 

AQUAMAN: I'll bring a jumbo jar of peanut butter. With cookies. 

PIDGEON: You've got yourself a deal, Lance McClain

AQUAMAN: ;-)

PIDGEON: no wiNKY FACES

AQUAMAN: :-(

PIDGEON: Go to sleep, Lance

AQUAMAN: Fineeee

~~~

Pidge logs off, sets her phone down on the bedside table and sighs. 

Lance never stops. 

Pidge smiles.

She loves it. 

~~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm wondering what my next long fic will be when this ends in two chapters... :)
> 
> Adieu!


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Autopilot Voltron is stressful, especially with a white-haired Princess on its back,
> 
> 2) Beezer...honey...just stop,
> 
> 3) Beaches, oceans, and reconcilation. 
> 
> "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
> 
> hi!!! I am immensely sorry for my sporadic and late posting schedule!! Work is catching up to me, as is life...but you don't deserve my excuses, you deserve an update, and here it is!
> 
> Without further ado,  
> enjoy!

It's reasonably clear weather as the Voltron Robotics Team walk into the competition venue, some ominous grey skies looming in the background.

"Thankfully, we've been separated from Galra Robotics, so we should be okay for-for another day," Allura sighs, rubbing her forehead. "When did I get so cowardly? I feel terrible. Can you guys go kick their purple-painted asses in Round 3?"

"We'll kick Zarkon so hard that he'll go into orbit," Keith mutters. "The rest of them will regret messing with you, Allura."

"I'll use my rocket blasters to burn a hole the size of Voltron in their robot!" Hunk cheers, grinning excitedly.

"You know it's serious when Hunk talks violently," Pidge quips. "Isn't that them over there?"

Standing at the entrance, intimidating as usual, are the Galra. Pidge finds the displays of hierachy disgusting. Haggar, Zarkon and some guy that wasn't there before, Lotor or something, are dressed in practically royal regalia while the rest of them wear a plain team t-shirt.

Wait...

Pidge's eyes land on a familiar bespectacled face in the sea of generic Galra.

He's wearing a flannel shirt tied around his waist.

Beezer.

Fuckin'  _Beezer._

Then, Beezer notices her staring, the look on his face surprised, then sinister.

Pidge's heart stops. Face pales. She starts sweating, honest to goodness  _sweating_ in outdoors December.

He's wearing the Galra uniform.

No...

"Pidge? Pidge!" Lance calls, gently tapping her shoulder.

"H-huh?"

If she were in her right mind, she would have snapped at him, but it comes out a lot more muted. Like she's dazed, as she stares in his eyes, the two of them positioned much closer than should be appropriate.

"We need to go now. Collect Voltron and all."

Beezer mouths 'wait' at her. It's hard to read what he's thinking.

Pidge glares daggers.

"Can-can you guys go on ahead? I know the way to the venue."

Lance opens his mouth like he's going to argue, but...he doesn't.

"Okay."

For a moment, his eyes flicker to Beezer, and Pidge's heart stops again.

But the unsuspecting Lance shrugs, turning as if he's about to go, but flipping himself back to face Pidge.

"Are you sure you don't want me with you?"

Pidge huffs out, keeping her eyes low and not allowing herself to lock eyes with Lance.

Totally not out of a fear of not being able to look away.

"I'll see you more tonight, if you haven't forgotten. I can handle myself," she answers, little pauses in between her words. Lance raises an eyebrow.

Neither realize that the rest of the team has already abandoned them and walked into the building.

"How could I forget?" Lance smiles softly, but it fades away. "I-I hope I can explain things better to you there. Just don't want to distract you during competition."

Finally.

Pidge wants answers. Pidge is Pidge, after all.

She always needs to know.

She can only hope that his explanations don't worry her further, especially if they...if they magically reach the third round.

Slowly, slowly, Pidge looks up at Lance, whose expression has greatly shifted to one that seems more determined, focused as a whole. Pidge isn't exactly sure of what he's thinking.

When did this happen? When did the boy that she thought she knew perfectly become such a mystery to her?

The thought that she maybe never really knew Lance in the way she always wanted to strikes a bolt of pain in Pidge's heart. Ouch.

"Lance..." Pidge trails off when she sees Lance turning away, waving goodbye to her. And he stops, yet again. Because Lance always waits for her, will always wait for her.

"Yeah?"

"Please..." Pidge bites her bottom lip, eyes trailing down again. "Just please don't hurt me again."

Before she can see Lance's reaction, Pidge strides off to Beezer, disappearing from view.

~~~

Okay, so maybe the robot thing isn't so bad right now, Lance thinks. They'll get through this. Team Voltron can do anything! Anything!

Who the fuck is he even kidding?!

Team Voltron, decked out in their (terribly designed) team uniforms, sit nervously and sweating heavily in their designated special room hidden away from the rest of the audience.

Yes.

There is an audience.

Something that Shiro again had not mentioned. Or maybe he didn't know. Either way, WHAT THE FUCK?!

As the per the university's capabilities (which seemed pretty damn amazing, what the hell?), they had decided to hold the autonomous second round in one of the massive lecture rooms, where a small select audience (stripped of all communication devices, to prevent information leaks) were there to (in a way) judge the effectiveness of the robot.

The robot is to be put through a series of challenges and quests that it must complete without controlling. Autonomous, obviously.

Lance glances at Pidge, sitting a little far from him. Chewing her bottom lip nervously, which still stands as an action that really gets to him, Pidge stares with laser-focus at the screen that shows how Voltron is doing.

So far, not that bad...Voltron managed to navigate itself through a series of obstacles and escape through a ring designed as a portal, entering the Castle, where it's supposed to:

1) Find the Princess of the Castle, who's very carefully hidden within the course,

2) Try not to get demolished by even more droids in the process,

3) Make it out of there before the 'portal' closes again.

Lance starts to think about the time he and Lance were programming Voltron for this part of the competition...and he flashes back before he even realises it.

_"Lance!" Pidge laughs, wiggling a little and trying to escape from Lance's lap, the blanket covering the both of them shifting drastically. Lance loved it, you know? Having Pidge so close to him, her comfort, the two of them just...together._

_Together._

"Lance!"

Pidge's voice is now sharp, commanding...nothing like what he was remembering.

How can he fix this?

He'll fix it tonight. He wants to fix it tonight.

"W-what? Sorry?" Lance blubbers, waking up. Pidge scowls.

"Watch."

It takes a while for Lance to comprehend why Pidge was kind of pissed. But he gets its.

She wants him to see what they did together, right?

It starts slow, but Voltron quickly manouevers itself to quickly and cleanly slice the heads off the droids, the speed something they could have improved, and the agility...but all in all...

Lance has never felt prouder. He's never seen a work of his really come to fruition. Not like this.

Surreptitiously, Lance sneaks glances at Pidge. She looks tense, still, the rest of the world gone to her.

He wants her to be happy, but she doesn't seem to be right now.

Shiro, Hunk and Keith, while undoubtedly invested in the robot's progress, don't seem as stressed. They're just relaxing on their chairs, even chatting a little in the back, while he and Pidge sit closest to the television, silent.

Yeah, their part of the competition is mostly done. But the programming is what matters here, and the programmers have so much to lose.

Lance sweats.

Finally, Voltron reaches the Princess, beautifully frozen in a futuristic capsule, after intelligently searching for a control console and hacking to locate her 'cryropod'. Pidge obviously coded that section. Lance doesn't know much about hacking.

Voltron approaches the Princess, who bears a strange resemblance to their own Allura (sitting in the audience) with her beautiful features and glowing white hair.

"We're almost there, guys," Shiro reminds, sounding as excited as a child opening gifts on Christmas Day. 

Joltingly, alarms start blaring the moment Voltron opens the cryropod, freeing the Princess. She hops on Voltron without a second thought, who straps her on safely, running off and away from danger. 

At this point, Pidge is turning blue from holding her breath (Lance too, honestly) as the team watch Voltron race out of the Castle, powerfully eliminating whatever stood in its way.

 _Kick_.

 _Punch_.

 _Slash_.

 _Stab_. 

Voltron is running...flying...

The portal is closing...Voltron is close...

Before he regrets it, Lance places a hand on her shoulder and squeezes gently, trying to comfort her. 

Pidge doesn't react.

Voltron leaps through the portal with the Princess in tow, the alarm going off with a sharp bang.

"Oh my god."

The loud, overarching cheers of the audience and the rest of the team are white noise to Lance, distracted. Very distracted.

Pidge leans her head on his hand, her chair just slightly moving closer to his.

_Maybe he hasn't destroyed everything just yet..._

It had broken his heart yet again to hear Pidge say "don't hurt me again."

He left her for the precise opposite...and yet he had failed to keep her happy. Protected.

Lance needs to make things right. Tonight. That's barely what she deserves, but it's all he can give to her at this point. If he could give Pidge the world he would without even a second thought.

Lance rests his head on hers.

_~~~_

Pidge should feel a lot happier than she does right now.

But she's only still nervous, panicked.

Great, they won the challenge. That's...that's great. Pidge hates they she doesn't feel more excited, proud of what she (and Lance) accomplished.

Shit, when did this competition turn into a drama-fest?! Why the hell did the world choose to dump the drama that she so carefully avoided in majority of her youth on her during her most important weekend?

It wasn't hard to slip out and away. No one had noticed her, as usual.

More like no one wanted to really question her.

"Hello," Beezer greets, dressed down in clothing similar to when they first met, minus the glasses. He's even got that exact same disposition that she let in, foolishly enough. Pidge isn't ever going to stop scolding herself for this. 

Who would have guessed Beezer was actually a little dick working with the Galra that she had _fucking shown Voltron's code to?!_

"Let's just get this over with," Pidge snaps, hunching and wrapping her hands on her shoulders, rubbing. In the heat of all the action, she'd forgotten about the December cold.

The year's almost over, Pidge realises with a start, and her world has completely changed.

She was so different in the beginning, wasn't she?

Beezer throws his jacket over her, helping a reluctant but desperate Pidge into it.

"Let's go," she hurries, walking off and putting some distance between them. Because for every time she's near him, when he touches her even in casual, friendly manner, her mind just switches off. Flips to Lance. She doesn't want any of that.

Seriously, though, she has to get this over with so she can meet Lance at the beach.

It might be poetic irony to get her heart broken twice at the same location. It's probably another girl, right? Knowing Lance it might be. But also knowing loyal best friend Lance...Pidge knows deep down somewhere that it really isn't. 

Maybe she'll finally get the truth out of him. The only thing she's ever wanted. 

"You're welcome," Beezer huffs. "Also, you're going the wrong way."

Pidge turns on her heel, grunting annoyedly.

The unlikely duo start heading down the street, walking away from the beach that Pidge so desires to go too. It looks so goddamn sketchy, like the back-door deal in competition; members of the age old rivalry walking together without beating each other up? What is life?

"Why do you even need me for this job? You're more than capable on your own," Pidge groans. "I mean, you didn't need to blackmail me into helping you hack into a video game database."

"Well, I don't have the time to pull it off solo, and I want-well," Beezer shrugs, suddenly sounding shy, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "I wanted to get to spend some time with you."

"Oooohhhh!" Pidge exclaims, not even keeping the sarcasm from dripping thickly off her sharp words and tone. "So you not only blackmail to inethically hack, you blackmail me into a  _date_? God, Beezer, you're more fucked up than I guessed!"

"Well, Pidge!" Beezer snaps, his nice-guy facade dropping faster than a stone. "Not-not all of us have the luxury of a perfect soulmate!"

"Aww, is Beezer looking for love?" Pidge taunts, hating the words that spill out of her mouth without abandon, but honestly, he kind of deserves it, and Pidge doesn't even give two shits anymore. Her eyes glint dangerously, Beezer even taking two steps backward, startled. "Well, news flash, even I don't have the luxury of a goddamn soulmate, and I've accepted it!"

The two of them start to approach some kind of back-alley, blue-green neon lights lighting up the way. It looks hella sketchy...but Pidge has no choice. Either she does this simple job or she causes Voltron's demise, all because she was dumb enough to let a stranger near her computer.

Beezer rolls his eyes, taking in a deep breath, shaking his head condescendingly at Pidge, who smacks his face. It's like he knows something she doesn't. And he's acting incredibly rude about it, too.

"What?" Pidge snaps, even more irate. 

Beezer halts in front of their destination, whirling on Pidge, who instinctively jumps back, also startled.

Guess both of them are a bit too high-charged, considering the stressful competitive circumstances. Not to mention the blackmail. 

"Aren't you supposed to be smart?" He rolls his eyes again, and Pidge just wants to smack him even more. "Goddamnit Pidge, even I can see it. Every single time that idiot looks at you, it's like he's looking at the sun! It's like he's found the fucking love of his life, and you-I'm assuming he was dumb and insecure."

Pidge still wants answers. That's still not enough. Lance-Lance. She needs an answer out of Lance's own mouth, words that tell her what she wants to hear, what is real.

Did he ever love her, or was she a fool?

"You always were perceptive," Pidge finally speaks. "You were that little kid cousin of Nyma and Rolo that never really made it in Altea, so you transferred, huh?"

It's the lack of glasses that helped her figure it out.

Beezer doesn't answer.

"You want to do this fast?" he growls.

Pidge nods determinely. 

"Let's go."

As Pidge heads into the backdoor building, she can only wonder what the rest of them are up to.

~~~

In contrast to what Lance would have expected, they're actually strategising for the final round of competition tomorrow.

They're not really caring about anyone else in the competition except the Galra. The purple asshole royalty, their enemy. They just need to win...but they're not.

"I hear that they've focused on strength and power rather than agility and speed. So that's where we come in. We're going to go in as a singular unit-yes, Keith, I checked, we're allowed-and we'll split up. Choke the robot. He can't multitask all of us at the same time. And once we do this well enough, we can rejoin and attack at full power."

As usual, Lance is zoning out. To him, all this tactical and strategic stuff came more or less naturally. Really, he'd rather go to the beach earlier.

He has to make things right with Pidge, huh?

Shiro scowls.

"-and Voltron is going to put on a hot pink bikini and seduce Zarkon-"

Wait, what?

"Wait, what?" Lance echoes, blinking fast. Shiro sighs, but doesn't seem surprised at all

"You weren't listening, Lance. Now, I get that you have some kind of turbulent, romantic thing to go to later-"

"-no, I really don't-"

"-but we came here to win, right?"

Shiro, almost unusually, sounds slightly more irate than usual. Maybe he's annoyed, but it's hard to tell. Lance really, honestly doesn't know at this point.

"Yeah-yeah, Shiro, you're right...but I really can't focus right now," Lance mumbles incoherently, getting up and pacing around, searching for his jacket, eyes going to the door straight after.

"Lance..."

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry...Hunk, text me the details."

He's trying hard not to look at the faces surrounding him, a mix of turbulent anger, heartbreak, worry...disappointment. But Lance knows that unless he fixes what he broke, he can never compete. Never do well again.

Pidge deserves better than him.

Lance isn't sure why he's so antsy, why he's so irresponsible, why only feels a little bit guilty as he's heading out the door, Shiro letting out a final sigh behind him.

~~~

"Did you really need me for that?" Pidge scoffs, clapping her hands together in mock applause. Beezer rolls his eyes, hands seeming to unconsciously push up glasses that weren't there. "I mean, it's only a couple dozen firewalls, not much."

He squares up, opening the door for Pidge, who heads out first. The night air is cold, stark, and

"Like I said, it's not that I found it difficult-"

"-lies-"

"-but that I wanted to hang around you a bit."

Beezer only looks slightly, slightly annoyed when Pidge stifles her laugh.

Why exactly is she acting so mean? Pidge isn't sure.

"Look, Beezer, I thought you were great until you revealed your intention to threaten and blackmail me into a stupid hacking date which isn't even a date," Pidge starts, "but my heart doesn't want anyone."

"Lies," Beezer parrots. "I'm the same age as you. I watched you and Lance-"

"-That's creepy, Beezer,"

"-Throughout first year. You're an idiot if you think that your 'heart doesn't want anyone', Gunderson."

It takes Pidge while to realise where they're headed, where Beezer is so sneakily directing them. The beach, of all places. As if he knows.

Soon, after a while of awkward walking, the clearing opens up and soon the beach is in sight. As per usual, she kicks her shoes off and immediately runs towards the beach.   
Pidge feels the sand sifting between her toes, the ocean calling to her with the steady sound of the waves.

Finally, she spots the boy standing on the beach.

Her head races with ideas, heart pounds crazily.

Beezer sighs.

Does he know?

"I've got to go, Beezer. You can go fuck off now, thank you. "

Beezer walks off, rolling his eyes and mockingly putting his hands up surrenderingly.

She heads down-

"-And there are words I want to say-"

Pidge stops.

Listening.

Lance continues on as if she wasn't there.

~~~

"And there are words I want to say, but I'm not saying. Not because of you, but because of me. Wow, shit, I didn't mean that to sound like a 'it's not you, it's me,' kinda thing, but in a way, it really totally is. "

Lance paces the length of the beach, up and down. Head racing. The waves, slowly getting faster and faster, aren't helping matters at all. Hitting the shore, back and forth...back and forth...

Is today really the best day to confess? Fix everything...change everything forever?

"I've cared about you since you told me that you were obviously my friend. Possibly before that. Because I saw a girl carrying herself like she had no friends. Okay, that sounds bad...don't take it that way? Ugh, I'm really going to mess up-"

Pidge should be coming soon.

"And over the years, well, we became close, but I never really saw you as more than a really good awesome best friend until...this year?" Lance wonders aloud. "I mean, what could I do if this amazing, funny, peanut-butter obsessed girl suddenly became such a big part of my life? Not fall in love with her?"

Kicking at the sand, Lance grins wildly, nostalgically. As if the last few days had never happened, he was still holding Pidge in his arms, pining...

"Frankly, Gunderson, that would be impossible."

~~~

Pidge holds her breath.

~~~

"I know so many different ways to say that I love you."

_So what's it gonna be?_

~~~

Is that a tear that slips down Pidge's cheek? A stray droplet?

Pidge starts running.

"Dammit...she's going to say this is WAY too cheesy," Lance mutters, stomping around in the sand.

Hell, for once Pidge likes it. She's never imagined this before.

Is this what it feels like to be in love? Maybe so. Definitely so. To know that Lance actually...it makes Pidge's head spin, heart race, and she loves the feeling.

So when he left her, was it because of his insecurities? Because he believed she would be better off without him?

All the emotion she had been suppressing for weeks rushes back in a sudden wave.

"Lance!"

Lance jumps, startled, and starts to turn around.

Pidge, overwhelmed, doesn't hear the footsteps approaching behind her. She only sees one person, one goal...

That she doesn't see it when Beezer grabs her hand, whirls her around...

And presses his lips to hers.

Lance turns around.

~~~

...

...

Lance doesn't want to believe it.

Just a ways from him, further up on the beach, he sees Pidge...kissing a boy.

Their eyes meet.

And Lance immediately turns back around, back to the sea.

He starts running.

For he doesn't want Pidge to see his tears, the very real tears streaming down his face. Surely there is an explanation to this...surely...

He can't blame her if she chose someone else. What he did was shitty, and he never explained it to her. A part of Lance hopes she listened to what he said, spilled out his feelings on a familiar place they can call home. That he could have at least explained himself to her...a selfish part hopes it was enough for her. Sure, it would be embarrassing as hell now if she had heard him, but it would be better for her to have known.

Pidge...

Lance doesn't ever look back as he runs off. Makes sure that Pidge won't find him.

~~~

Pidge fights to push him off, but Beezer is stronger than he looks. The fact that she's surprised probably helps his hold over her.Keeps their lips locked, the most gross and disgusting feeling she had ever felt.

Pidge fights to make a sound, any sound that would make Lance just  _turn around one more time_. But she can't.

Finally, once he's gone, running away from her yet again, Beezer lets go. Wipes his mouth, as if kissing her was the most vehement thing.

The bastard...that fucking bastard.

"You know, at least now he'll understand what it's like to have hearts broken. You know how it feels, he did it to you-"

Pidge slams her fist in his face, the string of saliva flying from his lopsided mouth satisfying the very, very pissed-off girl. Normally, Pidge wasn't into non-recreational violence...but Beezer deserves it, she tells herself. He freaking deserves it.

"-he did it to you, ran away like he just did...he's a coward, Pidge..."

Pidge slaps his face, the easiest way to just make him shut up, to stop his words from perverting her brain and twisting her. One boy ruined everything. One stupid boy had killed everything. Is he fighting back? Even trying?  
  


Pidge doesn't really care much at this point.

It takes a hell lot of willpower to stop.

Blood trickles out of his nose. Beezer doesn't care. Barely wipes at it. Doesn't even notice his split, puffy lip.

The feeling of assault is more disgusting than anything before it. Too big a change from her previous euphoria.

"Don't even pretend to understand us."

Pidge turns around, the heavy, laboured pants from Beezer making her smile maliciously. What the hell is up with Pidge?

She's  _pissed_.

"Oh, Beezer?"

He grunts.

"I've beaten you today, and I'm going to do it again. You-you're pitiful," she spits out. "You're just a Galra. Voltron, my team...we're going to be the ones to win tomorrow. We don't need blackmailing, notoriety, intimidating marches to win. We don't need assault to try and break up the team members, asshole, because we're the best team on our own. I beat you today, even if you're thinking that you've won because Lance just bolted. No, idiot, I've won, because now I'll tell you that you don't mess with Voltron, and I'm telling you now that some simple misunderstanding isn't enough to force us apart."

~~~

Pidge would never later admit it, but the minute she left, she crumbled. The bravado dissipated. Her strength disappeared.

Maybe her words were true.

But did she believe it?

Would Lance trust her?

Yes, yes he would.

Right?

A bad day to lose confidence, she remembers. She should go back to the hotel now.

Pidge walks along the beach, a route much more for savoring the way. Not like she's going to get any useful sleep tonight anyway. Guess it'll just be a long, lonely walk on the beach.

Haha...long walks on the beach...wait...

Is that Lance?

Sitting, knees pulled to his face, staring at the sea.

Yes it is, Pidge realises. She'd know Lance anywhere.

Should she...should she go to him?

Is he sob-sobbing?

Before she can stop herself, Pidge finds herself running to him again. She's not going to make the same mistake that Lance made, the same mistake that she herself had made countless times. No more.

She's not going to let him go again.

"Lance."

Pidge hears a sharp intake of breath, timed to the flow of the waves. Lance turns slowly, as if either disbelieving or surprised, and Pidge can't blame him for either. 

"It's Pidge!" he jokes, his smile failing to disguise the truth. The despair is painted all over his face. Pidge blanches the second she sees his face, heart stopping. Over and over in her head, Pidge has to tell herself it's not her fault, it's not her fault...but it is really, isn't it? Dealing badly with Beezer...that's all her.

She's not at fault...she's not at fault...she knows she's not at fault. Right?

"Lance-"

"So how did you two meet?" he asks, a grin much like the teasing ones he had always thrown at her, save for the mildly red and puffy eyes.  "Ooh, does Pidgeon finally have a boyfriend?"

"No."

He stops, faltering.

Pidge takes in a deep breath

"Lance, I didn't want that kiss."

Lance jolts.

"He was-is a dick. But Lance...I don't know why I'm explaining myself to you," she says. "Just know that that was forced, he's a dick on the Galra Robotics Team that I was blackmailed into helping-"

"-whAT?!"

"-not related to Voltron-"

"-STILL?!"

"-and forced himself on me. Nothing else. You can punch him tomorr-today, if you like. Up to you, but been there done that for me."

Lance crawls closer to Pidge, the two of them very close now, noticing the small bloodstains on her hands. Instinctively, he pulls her hands into his, cradling them, rubbing his thumbs over them observantly.

"Pidge...that was incredibly badass, but you're too precious to be stained like this. Here, let me help you-"

Pidge's heart cracks again.

"There you go again!" she cries, snatching her hands back from him and jumping back. "There you go, pulling me in with your charming words and cute gestures and smiles and laughs and then you run away! And you start again! Over and over again, you pull me in and you throw me away-you run away!" Pidge leaps up, sniffling a little, looking down at Lance with some mixture of menace and sadness. Hard to describe. "To think I-"

Pidge starts to go limp, her body swaying, her mind blurring. Lance gets up quickly, catching Pidge in his arms from behind her . Tiny tears trickle out of her eyes...but she can't see Lance's eyes, the blue she would stare into, tearing up like hers.

"-To think I believed you again."

Lance's heart breaks a little. Then a little more. Then a lot.

"-Pidge-"

Pidge twists around, unleashing herself from his grip, finally seeing his face. Terrified, guilty, remorseful, all painted on her boy's face, an expression Pidge has never seen before.

So she gives up.

"-When will you realise that your pickup lines, your hugs, your smiles, your cuddles, your words...when will you realise-"

Pidge chokes up. Again.

What happened to the rules, the rules she'd followed so closely? It had led her here to the tournament, the actual national tournament finals with a robot poised to win! And when she breaks the rules?

She becomes like this. Is this all she gets?

"I've got to go. I'm-I'm sorry, Lance-"

"-wait!"

Lance gently grabs her by the wrist, keeping her from running off too quickly. Pidge turns, questionably either irate or surprised.

"Did you hear me? Did you hear me while I was alone on the beach, talking?" 

He looks much too hopeful. 

Pidge's breath hitches.

Say yes? Say no? For a moment, all the stunned girl can do is stare into Lance's eyes, flicking between him and the ocean, him and the ocean...until she makes up her mind. 

"Yes, I did..." she answers, plain as day, startling Lance at the straight-up honesty. Can the drama just go away? Can she just wrap this boy in her arms? Hold his face and tell him how she feels? 

"And?"

There he is with that face again. Shit, Pidge thinks, genuinely breaking out into a laugh which Lance follows along with, the two of them just cracking out amidst tension too high for their liking, the sunset the background, the ocean the music. 

She stops laughing, her hand going to his, gently tracing the outline of his fingers, still tentative. 

She needs to analyse. Figure out things. 

After the competition.

After the competition. 

After the competition...

"I just need time to think. Tomorrow. Okay?"

He doesn't look disappointed somehow, his eyes not drooping, smile not dropping. Instead, he nearly huffs out a breath he'd been holding, a little smile and wistful expression on his face. Pidge, upon seeing how hunched over he suddenly becomes, gently places a hand on his shoulder, pulling him up just enough. 

"You okay?"

"So this means you don't hate me?" Lance blurts out, expression very suddenly warping, gaze dropping low. 

"You nearly made me hate you," she says, much to Lance's despair, as it seems, "and I'll admit, it worked for a while. But really, Lance..." Pidge sighs,  finally wrapping her arms around Lance in a familiar embrace.

She nuzzles into his neck, the little squeak of surprise Lance makes disappearing as he softens into the hug, arms holding her tightly, his warmth comforting in the open beach breeze. It's something she's longed to have again for so long. The feeling of being loved. It's the feeling that prompts her to continue on. 

"Oh Lance," she sighs, breaking apart just a little from him. "How could I ever hate you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) My Q and A is still open,
> 
> 2) Comment if you would enjoy a Musical Theater AU! (i may be planning one as a long fic, or planning to write a college sequel to this. Let me know which one you'd prefer!
> 
> ~~~
> 
> One more chapter to go.
> 
> ~~~


	25. Chapter 25: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Sweet Dreams are made of this... 
> 
> 2) Breakfast is supposed to be fun. Especially without Lance. 
> 
> 3) The final chapter has begun...*dun dun DUNNN*
> 
> "Welcome to the Finals of the National FIRST Robotics Tri-Challenge Tournament: Intergalatica!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that i have taken so long to update. Here are two crappy excuses:  
> 1) finals :((  
> 2) skating competition 
> 
> So ive written out the chapter but I'm splitting it into parts because honestly, it got really long. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

_Pidge's eyes are closed. Glasses cracked on the ground._

_She doesn't want to open her eyes. Doesn't want to. Just stay in what she knows._

_"Pidge?"_

_Her eyes snap open. Was that Lance?_

_He's nowhere to be seen._

_Fog._

_Colours._

_Turquoise._

_A shadow tickles her hand, dissipating into nothingness._

_Suddenly, Voltron materializes in front of her, tall and proud. Pidge can't help but step forward, place a finger on the creation...but it disintegrates._

_Before she has time to recover from the undeniable shock, Haggar, and then Zarkon appear, towering tall over her. Zarkon mockingly picks up a fragment of the black lion, crushing it in his massive hand._

_Pidge wants to back away._

_Pidge tries to back away._

_Pidge can't back away._

_Zarkon laughs, malice laces through every note of his voice, walking closer to Pidge. Step by step._

_Step._

_Step._

_Step._

_What's that?_

_Pidge whirls around...and sees Lance. Then Allura, then Shiro, Keith, Hunk. Standing behind her, arms crossed. Lance has a arm around her. This is the team she knows, she loves, she cherishes with her life._

_Zarkon and Haggar don't back down, standing as tall and proud as before, but Zarkon's hand no longer reaches for her slim throat._

_The robot appears. Controllers materialize in their hands._

_Zarkon smiles._

_Pidge picks up her glasses._

_The final game has begun._

~~~

Pidge's eyes fly open. Hand scrambles for her glasses, a breath exhaled in relief at their intactness.

Her eyes roll over to the side. No Allura. She must have left for breakfast already.

Getting up, her eyes catch sight of the mirror...and immediately, something feels very different.

Maybe it's the knowledge that it's the day. It's the day they've been waiting for. Maybe it's knowing that after today, Voltron would never be the same. Keith has to leave, Shiro has to leave.

Maybe it's something else.

Is she different? Pidge tries to glare at herself in the mirror while tying her unkempt hair, scrunitizing every last inch of her face. Nothing. Nothing's different. So why does she feel so strange? And where is her goddamned comb?!

Her eyes catch sight of her comb. Ocean blue.

Right. She'd almost forgotten.

Haha, as if she'd forgotten. More like she'd pushed it to the back of her mind.

Pidge looks in the mirror. Pinches her face. How did anyone fall for that, she wonders?

Never mind that.

Everything has been so confusing. Why doesn't she accept Lance? She knows she loves him. And she's very sure what he feels for her is very genuine, now that she's truly opened her eyes. Maybe it's the trauma. The drama.

Deep down, Pidge knows they're both just scared. Scared that this could screw them over. Scared that this could destroy their perfect friendship.

But isn't it already destroyed, really?

Pidge pushes the thought out of her head. There are more important things than love on her mind today.

Pidge grabs her jacket, throws it over her godawful team shirt that she mentally vows to redesign, shoves her phone in HR pocket, and shuts the door behind her.

The last time she'll do that before the competition, it seems.

~~~

The first thing Pidge notices when she sits down on their rickety motel table is the piercing silence.

Shiro is sipping black coffee, whitened with creamy milk, silently reading Pidge's manuals on Voltron.

Unusually, Hunk and Allura seem devoid of energy, stabbing lethargically at their sunny side up eggs and sausages. Keith is his usual morning self, his head just dropping onto Shiro. 

Lance?

Where is Lance?

"Lance? He's at the beach. I think he's got nervous jitters, so he had breakfast really early today and said he was going to relax," Keith answers drowsily, Pidge a little shocked, not realizing she had spoken aloud. 

"Oh."

The sausages are cold.

"So..." Shiro tries, looking expectantly at the team, who look nothing like finalists at present. Nothing like a team. No talking, no anything. "Okay, then..."

"Why are we so nervous?" Pidge blurts out too loudly, earning some scowls from the old tourists on other tables, clapping her hand back on her mouth. "Why are we so nervous?" she repeats, this time considerably more controlled. It does get their attention, though. 

"We built a robot with the shittiest material and limited funding. We got through finals, freakin' Iverson, goddamnit, and beat some of the swankiest schools in America to get here. I don't think we need to be nervous, guys, because we've already beat the odds, and what's one more time?" 

Silence again. Keith stares at the floor, Allura hiding a hint of a graceful smile. 

"It's not as easy as you make it sound, Pidge. I'm all for kicking the Galra's ass, but we also have to be realistic," Allura comments, as gently as she can. Are they coddling her? 

"I'm sure we'll beat them," Keith says. "What's so scary about them? They're rich?"

Shiro looks like he's about to speak, mouth opening, but Hunk lets out a breathy sigh and starts-

"There's always that thing that they're the defending champs, and Zarkon just happens to be ex-Voltron and would probably have fun kicking our ass with his army of purple idiots and whip Voltron off the ground with Haggar's grandma hair," Hunk deadpans. "But yeah!"

A moment of silence.

Another beat.

"mphmm-"

"ahe-"

"HAHAHAHAHA"

Suddenly, everyone breaks out into voracious laughter, the elderly people onlooking shooting the team looks of annoyance. It's so overwhelmingly random, obviously, laughing about something so ridiculously unfunny but so ridiculously...un-Hunk? It's like his strange comment breaks a dam of nervousness separating the team and causes a windfall of laughter. Thanks, Hunk.

"Uh-okay, Hunk, thanks for the vote of confidence," Shiro stutters, laughing a little as he speaks. "We've got to get to the school by nine, so I suggest we leave the negative attitudes behind and adopt-"

"-us?"

"-Zarkon?"

"-Pidge, because she's everyone's child?"

Shiro slams his head on the table, his toast and butter flying off and smacking Pidge's glasses off. 

"Hey!"

"-posITIVE ATTITUDES!"  

~~~

Lance would say that the past three days have been nothing short of: 

1) Amazing,

2) Horrifying,

3) HorriBLE,  

4) ...heartbreaking.  

The walk on the way to the school is an equal mix of all them. He sees Shiro with his hand casually slouched on Keith, ignoring any questioning or judgmental eyes as they pass the plethora of booths. Hunk animatedly discussing his plans for the fight with everyone, even the two boys who weren't really listening. 

Lance picks up brochures from the stalls lining the walk without even looking at them properly; he hadn't gotten the chance on the first day, being so distracted.

Robotics Scholarships Available!

Learn Robotics at FIRST University!

Free Education? Not a Dream Anymore! Prove Yourself And Win A Full Ride!

...hmm.

Lance glances at Pidge, who's walking with her head stuck in her manual, thumbs flicking like on a controller, tongue sticking out slightly. Oh god...snapping out of it, Lance has one single coherent thought: 

Something is very wrong with Pidge. 

Pidge at the beginning of the year would be screaming and shouting while walking down these aisles, eagerly grabbing at every single leaflet and ranting to him about how "this was going to be her chance". How this would be the ticket to her lifelong dream. She would probably say something about how "it's okay, she's got this". 

Pidge now isn't talking. She's staring at manuals that she's read thousands of times before, manuals she's written. She's making no sound. Not even noticing the opportunities surrounding her. 

Suddenly, every footstep feels heavy, every heartbeat a little too strong. 

There's no way she's just nervous, he thinks, while walking through the doors. He's seen nervous Pidge before; exam times, math olympiads, stressed about this damn competition- and this isn't her. 

Shit- 

Is this his fault? 

Lance hops behind her as inconspicuously as possible. Hunk catches his eye, Lance giving him a look. Hunk nods,

"-HEY, EVERYONE, REGISTRATION ENDS IN TWO MINUTES!" 

"Oh shit-"

A flurry of movement, everyone leaving the hall, and they're alone.

Lance slowly, carefully even, places his hands on Pidge's shoulders. She barely flinches.

"You okay?"

She shrugs, turning around to face him. Pidge looks up, Lance still feeling that familiar skip of a heartbeat, the one he feels every time she looks at him. Did she get prettier this year, or did Lance just fall in love? Who knows. Every goddamn time she just looks at him, no matter if its with happiness, anger, annoyance, or god forbid... _heartbreak_...something just flutters in his chest, like little butterflies-

"Lance? Lance?" Pidge grows more impatient with every word, while a dazed Lance remains unresponsive. 

"-Hu-Huh, sorry, spaced out for a moment..." 

Pidge chuckles a little, playfully punching Lance's shoulder. 

"What, did my gorgeous eyes do that?" she whispers, batting her eyelids madly, right up in Lance's rapidly paling face. After way-too-long of Lance being too goddamn caught up, he steels himself, throwing out a casual "Uh yeah, what do you think, gorgeous?" 

"Obviously," Pidge scoffs, smirking slightly. "I'm a charmer."

"Indeed you are."

Lance sincerely hopes she isn't joking, or that would be insulting him, heh. 

A moment of silence. Lance remembers what he even approached her for. Playfully, he makes a grab for her papers, managing to just slip them out of her fingers.

"Manuals? Tactics? Haven't you read these already?" Lance teases, acting a little bit oblivious.

"Well, yeah...but I need to make sure I don't forget anything." Pidge makes a grab for the papers again, but Lance nimbly twists and thrusts them up into the air, eliciting a groan of annoyance from the much-shorter girl, who tries kicking his knees, tickling him, and jumping, just to get her papers back.

"Are you kidding me? C'mon Lance, we need to go-"

"-you know this isn't a test right? You can't study for this, there's no multiple choice questions or structured questions," Lance starts off.

"Yeah, obviously," Pidge shoots back, more distracted with getting the papers.

"Pidge."

Lance takes hold of her hands, the papers clutched tightly between their hands. It's unnerving how well her hand fits in his.

"You're brilliant, you don't need manuals or study notes to do great at this. You're Pidge! You made Voltron, you know Voltron. You know gaming and bot fighting like the back of your hand. You managed to beat me in fucking Mario Kart, Pidge, and not just anyone does that-"

Pidge raises an eyebrow.

"-actually, didn't Iverson beat you in the students VS teachers game-"

"-that was ONE time, Pidge! Anyway..."

Lance grows serious again, squeezing Pidge's hands again. She bites her lip, a little surprised.

It's so quiet.

"You can do this. I believe in you, okay?"

Pidge pauses, looks down at their hands, and finally smiles widely, squeezing his hands in return.

"Thanks Lance. I needed that."

Lance opens his arms. 

Pidge pauses. Doesn't move for a moment. 

Lance holds his breath, finally realising something from her small hesitation. She wasn't worried about the battle. She's confident as hell, as Pidge normally is, but he's the one on her mind.  What happened at the beach. Does she say yes? No? If anything, he's the last thing she should be thinking about. Lance wouldn't begrudge her if she rejected him outright.

Maybe her grey answer is a future yes. 

Suddenly, without him noticing, he's holding Pidge in his arms, slightly trembling. She's not crying, definitely not, but she's stressed. Stressed. So all he can do is hold her tight, let her mumble little worries out into his chest, let her now-pretty-long hair tickle his arm. The familiar embrace helps Lance release a bit of tension he hadn't realized he was feeling. 

"You rea-?"

"Oh my god." 

Lance and Pidge break apart swiftly, right into the faces of Shiro, Hunk, Allura and Keith. Keith, phone raised right to their level.

"KEITH!"

~~~

The auditorium, previously stuffed to the brim with seats, has been near-emptied, left with a few sparse seats and untold numbers of seats on the first and second floors above them, leaving a beautiful expanse of space in the middle of the hall. 

Voltron. 

Balmera's robot.

Olkari's robot.

And...the Galra Robot.

Pidge is blinded. Pidge almost can't hear anything for a while, until suddenly everything comes back into focus while striding in alongside her similarly stunned-team. 

Screams.

Cheers.

Shouts. 

Applause. 

 _So much applause_.

Pidge would never have anticipated such a crowd to turn up to a freaking robotics competition. There's an even mix of nerds, jocks, teachers, nerds not from the college. And most importantly, a group of scouts, holding up papers and looking down from their glasses.

A girl steps up to the podium. Holds the microphone.

Suddenly, everything goes dead silent.

Pidge can hear every single heartbeat.

 _Thump_.

Lance slips her hand in his.

_Thump_

Pidge pauses. Thinks.

 _Thump_.

Pidge squeezes his hand.

The girl opens her mouth to speak.

"Welcome to the Finals of the National FIRST Robotics Tri-Challenge Tournament: Intergalatica!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said one more chapter...surprise! I felt really bad about making you guys wait, because I had finals and a skating competition...so I'm separating the final chapter into parts. Just a reminder that there's a Q and A I'll post when I finish the book :). 
> 
> Please help me out with this too (vote in the comments :) ), i need to decide what to write next. 
> 
> 1) Figure skating AU   
> 2) continuation of this book  
> 3) Theatre AU   
> 4) To All the Boys I've Loved Before AU. (probably a short book) 
> 
> Stay tuned, and thanks for waiting!


	26. Chapter 25: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) The quad is nicer in Altea, 
> 
> 2) Why do the Balmera have such gorgeous, badass uniforms?,
> 
> 3) Night strolls and instant noodles. 
> 
> "What the fuck is heckathon?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #finishedthiswhilewatchingtheworldcupandlowkeysobbedthatCroatiadidn'twin
> 
> This chapter got a lot longer than intended. Enjoy!

The rules of bot-fighting are simple:

1) No foul play or sabotage (this seems markedly subjective, admittedly)  
2) No battle outside of the marked area

3) Disable or hold the opponent robot down for ten seconds for automatic win.   
4) In the event that classic WWW takedown did not in fact happen, which was exceedingly rare in the history of the tournament, the winner would be determined by display of robot functionality, and a count of direct hits and strategic moves used.

Simple, right?

Well, definitely simple, considering these three rules are a condensation of a myriad of flowery rules that seemed woefully unnecessary. Shiro looked like he wanted to cry when he had read them for the first time back in Altea. 

They were supposed to only wait half an hour while the judges and audience viewed the robot blueprints. 

They weren't saying whether it was counting or not in the competition. 

It would be  _really_  fuckin' strange if it did, honestly. Strange because it had never ever counted before. 

All of a sudden, a ball comes flying over with incredible strength, sailing smoothly over tiny Pidge's head and just barely whizzing by Hunk-

"WATCH OUT-!"

Keith sticks one arm out and catches it, barely even looking, continuing to read the manual. 

"Fucky fuck, did one of those robotic nerds just catch Troy's ball? My god."

"Chad, don't stereotype the kid."

Keith, looking redder by the second, hurls the ball back at "Chad", hitting him smack in the ass. 

"Ow!"

Shiro blinks, grinning slightly. Keith opens his mouth to speak. 

"Y'all-"

And one word, one simple word (or was it two?) created a cacophony of chaos and voices. 

"Did Keith just y'all us-"

"Keith did just fuckin' Texan us-"

"-uh, no, Pidge, he only Texans Shiro-"

"-HOLY FUCK SHUT UP"

"y'all'd've been so shook if you really knew what Texaning was like."

"whAT THE FUCK, KEITH?"

Lance's perceptiveness catches on to how Pidge suddenly withdraws from the bickering and Texan discourse, which continues over at the side with pretty much everyone except them. Pidge...ever since he's known her, she's seen how she doesn't give a shit about subjects that didn't matter to her, but stress EVERYTHING on science, math, IT, even though she was effortlessly better than all of them anyway. She would brush off any girls or boys that tried to bother her, but would go nuts over any little misinterpreted comment from Matt or her dad. 

This seemed like another one of those moments.

"How are you not stressing out right now?" she suddenly asks, looking at the door of the auditorium. Some cheers emanate. Lance cringes at the sickly sound of loud, crunching metal. 

 He can't deny that he's amazingly, amazingly stressed and worried for this considering how much effort they put into this, even if it didn't really manifest as such like Pidge. 

"I am. You just don't see it."

"You know, you can rely on me for emotional support, right?" Pidge suddenly states, checks almost, finally looking at Lance properly, leaning in slightly. Lance chuckles at the statement, teasingly knocking her glasses and knocking her backwards. 

"Pidgeon, what do you think I've been doing for the past year?" he laughs. Through everything, its undeniable that they've been great for each other, and if Pidge decided she wanted to be his friend and only his friend, he'd be okay with it. Disappointed, but definitely not pissed or upset. It's her choice after all. 

Feelings...feelings can change. 

If Pidge hasn't said anything that resembles a yes, does that mean a no, or is it a 'I'm going to hold out on Lance just to torture him like I usually do" kind of thing again? 

God. 

"Oh," she whispers, smiling down to herself. 

It's...cute?

"What, is this you feeling guilty for me reassuring you or something? Because you know, Pidge, I've always been doing that for everyone, don't feel special."

"Oh," she says again, eyes dropping downwards, tinged with a little disappointment. At this, Lance really cracks up, punching Pidge on the shoulder and rolling back onto the green grass of the quad. 

"Come on Pidge, I'm just kidding. God." 

"Well, yeah, I knew that!" it comes out as a squeak, Pidge eventually joining Lance in laughter, both of them with backs on the quad. It definitely takes them a while to realise how Pidge has rolled onto Lance's outstretched arm, their heads almost touching, bodies  _definitely_  touching. It's a closeness they've developed after so long, something that would have embarrassed them a year ago. 

But now, they notice, and they stay. Doesn't move. 

To Lance, seeing Pidge laugh and grin and  _not stress_  is worth the world, is worth more than ten thousand scholarships. 

Shit, he's got it  _hard_. 

~~~

When Team Voltron first walks in, a few things spring to mind.

1) How their shaking hands, bulging eyes and tensed throats definitely make for a less-than-ideal-and-less-than-impressive entry,

2) How the Galra robot stands so tall and proud at the back (how the holy hell had they not gotten disqualified for that? Hmm...)

3) And how the Balmera (their opponent's) robot looked incredibly solid, strong, and literally a tough nut to crack.

Pidge takes a while looking around, taking everything in. And of course, she did the anime glasses thing, much to Lance's amusement. 

The auditorium is more lit up now, the projector quickly switching off. Even from the faint lines, Lance immediately recognized his own work, the careful lines that he had sketched out. On the side stood a massive board, showing the knockout setup intended for the day and the timetable. 

1) Voltron Vs Balmera

2) Galra Vs Olkari

3) TBA 

Pidge, frankly, can already see Voltron's name in the finals.  

The woman who had spoken during the opening starts listing out the rules and regulations to the audience while the teams assemble. So boring, but supposedly necessary, considering they were the first teams to compete. Shiro and Keith, as "official" leaders of the team, go over to work with the staff and prepare Voltron for battle. Lance's heart pounds as they carry the robot. Sure, it's not fragile...but you never know. 

"I swear, if they drop it-" Lance and Pidge both hiss at the same time. 

"Wow, okay, leave me out," Hunk jokes. 

Despite the slight moment of comedy, it still takes multiple hand squeezes courtesy of Lance to stop Pidge from zoning out during the opening speeches and required reading of the rules and regulations. But seriously, who wouldn't zone out? 

Once Lance thinks he's finally got Pidge somewhat calm, he has a completely different problem on his already-too-full hands. Why the hell is Hunk wandering happily to the audience and not to their places?! Lance storms over as nonchalantly as possible, smacking an oblivious Hunk on the leg.

"Hunk?" he hisses. No response. What the hell? "Hunk! Oh my god, is my only purpose here to keep you guys focused or something, as ironic as it seems?!" 

"Bluh-beh-wh-?"

Lance snaps Hunk's headband on his forehead, giving him a punch on the back. Nothing. Lance sighs...how can he blame Hunk for being lovesick? Lance gives Shay, sitting in the audience, a curt smile and wave, trying his best to break their stare and just GET HUNK TO THE ARENA. 

Again, Lance delivers a doubly-awkward and doubly-short smile and wave to the Balmera team, who stands opposite them, trying his best not to be jealous of their cool bomber-jacket styled uniforms, colored with a mix of pea green and brown. Like Shay, the Balmera have a cheerful disposition and a perpetual smile that Pidge guesses hides a deadly fighting style. 

"And welcoming Team Balmera, from X-95-Vox High, Arizona!"

Applause. You can see the audience taken in by how freaking friendly they look, despite their generally tall and stocky builds (surprising for tech nerds).

"And...."

Pidge simply can't believe this is happening. Something she's dreamed of for years. To stand on a stage with a real team, to have gotten this far, to have built a competitive robot and programmed it, to be in the finals...no, she was wrong. This is not one dream. This moment is a thousand dreams in one. 

"...welcome Team Voltron, from Altea High School!"

Lance squeezes her hand, grinning at her. It's a beautiful sight. 

~~~

Thump,

Thump,

Thump. 

A cage. An alcove. 

The robots are in the cage, and the fighters in the alcove, far enough to be safe, close enough to see everything but the opposition controller. This was very good. This way, the Balmera wouldn't figure out that there's five rather than one person controlling the robot as normal. The girl with the mic also seems to be commentating on the match, saying how the Balmera are usually semi-finalists, but never any better than that. Huh. Maybe they're  _too_  docile and defensive. 

Voltron just looks beautiful. That's all Pidge can think while she stares at the robot, her little hands trembling, the controller shaking slightly. 

Countdown starts. 

_3,_

She double-checks everything in her mind. Top right slider for special power, top left for instant acceleration, X to break apart, O to join together...

_2,_

She makes sure they're arranged in the right order; Shiro in the centre, Pidge and Keith to his left, Lance and Hunk to his right,

_1._

"LET'S GO, TEAM!"

"YEAH!"

Shiro slams his hand on his unique 'activate' button-

And they're off. 

Voltron springs to life, the bright light shooting speedily along the edges of their lions. At the same time, a brilliantly bright blue crystal lights up in the center of the Balmera robot, similar tendrils of light making the otherwise earth robot seem amazingly modern and high-tech. In other words, instant intimidation.

"Voltron is a newcomer to the game, so they don't have the experience and maturity that the long-standing Balmera have! What Voltron does have, however, is more speed and agility in comparison to the Balmera's traditional strong-as-rock exterior, which serves the purpose but also slows it down!"

Voltron doesn't lunge. Slowly, Voltron and Balmera circle each other, neither seeming ready to strike first. With these few, slow moments and new close-up she had of the robot, Pidge immediately does her analytics; judging by the strong, stocky build of the large robot, slightly taller than them, the earthy coloring perfectly matching their outfits (goddamn, even in the midst of battle, Pidge found the time to be jealous) and their overall heavy maneuvering...they were working on the defense. They were going to play it low-key, and smart, probably strike where they least expected. 

"Guys, don't strike. Wait. They're excellent at defense and built for it too, check out the shoulder padding and holy shit what material did they use for the armour?" Pidge rambles. "And I think we've got to stay in Voltron mode, we can't possibly handle such a sturdy robot."

Everyone seems to agree in Pidge's opinion, judging by the small nods. Even while speaking, no one lets their eyes stray from the arena. This type of perfect functionality and focus is what's needed to operate Voltron, and it's the functionality they've practiced to have. 

"Yeah, but nothing's going to happen in that case," Keith points out, sounding irate. 

"That's what they want, they want us to strike first. So we force their hand, no matter how long it takes," Pidge fights back. 

"Let's wait for a while," Shiro finally decides. "We have plenty of time to take them down." 

"It won't be easy though." Hunk lets his eyes flit to the side. "From what Shay let slip-"

"-during a makeout session-?"

Hunk blushes furiously. The Balmerans don't move. 

"-yes, shut up Lance-"

"-damn, Hunk getting some-"

"-guys...focus..."

"-I'm sick of this!" Keith suddenly yells. He slams his controller forwards, his whole body lunging forward with the motion. 

"Keith!" the team screams in unison. Everyone follows through with his motion, slamming their controllers in a desperate move to balance Voltron. This works, but at the sore price of handling a great blow to the chest from the Balmera, something that sends almost physical pains shooting down Pidge's nerves, and sends Voltron stumbling back. 

The fight, however impulsively, has finally begun.

"Looks like we're getting some action here, folks!" Mic Girl says excitedly, for possibly the first time in the entire match. The audience finally makes a sound too.

Pidge would definitely be ripping on Keith for that stupid move that definitely sets them behind, but she can't blame him. Her impulsive side would have beaten her logical self at some point in the waiting game. 

With as much co-ordination as ever, Voltron expertly blocks every hit and delivers many more to the Balmera, some to the very sturdy chest plate which seemed to be made of steel, goddamn (Pidge wouldn't put it past them). While they do seem to be scoring with every roundhouse kick from Lance, short punch from Pidge, headbutt from Shiro, devastating blow from Hunk (who Pidge suspects built his own robot to be ultra-strong...though she couldn't be mad, considering he didn't buy upgrades).

Pidge's theory of combined Voltron being sufficient-even if barely-against the Balmera's slow-and-steady robot works, but it's quickly becoming difficult to block the Balmera's stronger, albeit slower hits, Voltron nearly being tripped. The thought of pinning the robot down was unthinkable. 

Even their secret "ninja 360 ultra" move, clearly named by Lance, couldn't drive a dent in them. Worse, they were slowly becoming more and more aggressive, which was a deadly combination when combined with the rock hard 'hands' and power from that mysterious crystal. 

It takes an excellently, almost perfect block from the Balmera for Pidge to finally  _open her eyes_.  Either they are extremely, extremely sharp, or...

"They've got some kind of sensing software. Like hyper-sensitive sensing software!" Pidge screams, nearly making everyone drop their controllers. "I'm guessing it tracks vibrations from our movements in the ground and helps them anticipate-to near perfect accuracy-our moves-!"

She's cut short when everyone suddenly lunges back, pulling back the controllers.

"Shitting hell, and we thought they were just strong!" Keith swears, expertly landing a hit on the side of their head with his sword (Pidge wasn't even surprised with that choice of weaponry. It's Keith. He only likes cryptids, Shiro, and anything very sharp). Pidge goes in with him, trying to lunge for the shoulders, but are batted away by a swipe of their arm. No amount of careful maneuvering can out-smart someone who knows everything.

"Hey."

Pidge's head snaps to the side. Lance looks straight at her. Eight full minutes of perfect concentration is broken with those familiar eyes. 

"Maybe we have to break apart. They've probably only got one guy manning the system. It's harder to track five than one."

"LANCE! PIDGE!" 

The tiny lapse in concentration is costly-without an arm and leg functioning, Voltron finds itself in a sudden-death chokehold. The Balmera start to press on, Pidge and Hunk trying to push off. The audience seems riled for the first time in an otherwise very boring fight, cheering and yelling, some boos and heckles coming through the loudest.

"WE'VE GOT TO SPLIT! SHIRO!" Lance shrieks desperately, backed by Pidge and Keith in the background. Hunk is too focused as the heavy-duty leg to add in agreement. 

"ON THREE!" Shiro responds immediately, readying his hand. "EVERYONE X ON 1...2...3!"

All five slam the X. 

A brilliant flash of light.

The lions fall apart. 

Gasps from the audience. Gasps from the commentator. 

(unexpected) swears from the Balmera. 

"Voltron Robotics have just unveiled the wild card! Oh, this might be something for the records! How their controller is handling this, we don't know, but this changes the game completely!"

Due to monetary constraints and their size as arms, (and some rules that simply didn't have loopholes) only Pidge and Keith have something resembling blasters to propel them in the air and help them attack the robot. Shiro has some kind of makeshift wing that works to help him streamline and do some kind of flying. Lance and Hunk work together. 

 "Great idea Lance," Shiro praises, right while delivering a nice blow.   

Suddenly, they feel liberated. Maybe it's because they're all working on their own, and maybe it's because they've broken free of the vicious cycle from earlier. now, they all take a part of the Balmera down with them, much faster than before. 

"Hey Keith, I've got an idea," Pidge murmurs.

"I'm listening..."

It would be a little risky, but then again, Pidge and Keith were definitely the biggest risk-takers in the team, or as Shiro would say, "Most Likely To Do Some Shit When Pissed". 

And  _oh_ , were they going to do shit. 

"Don't tell the rest, I need them distracting him. But here's what we're going to do..."

Pidge mumbles. Lance looks, just for a moment, raising his eyebrows amusedly. Keith lets out a little whoop.

"Let's go, Gunderson!"

"Oh, oh, 'Blue' just seems to have taken out an actual bit of the robot! Damn, they really have loosened up on the rules this year...wait...did 'Green' and 'Red' just change course? Sh-looks like they're going for the Balmera's energy source!"

Pidge smirks. Smart girl. In a beautiful, completely unanticipated move, Red lunges in front of Green, right in front of the Balmera, a very vulnerable position.

"Yeah!" Pidge screams, Green jumping on Red, springboarding right up and hooking onto crystal. Pidge grips on, furiously scratching at the protection, flailing almost pathetically. Take out the power, take out the strength, take down the Balmera. 

_Crack!_

Pidge chips it. A little chip, but the Balmera suddenly staggers back. The lights flicker on the armour, flickering out. 

"Tiny 'Green' just took out the armour! Never would have believed it!"

"Excuse me!" Pidge exclaims indignantly. 

"Great job guys!" Shiro cheers, quickly patting Pidge on the back before she lunges at the announcer. "Now, we've just got to polish them off-"

 

 

 

 

_Beep, beep, beep!_

"Fighters, you have one minute remaining!"

The audience grows really hyper, cheering and loudly screaming. Now, the support seems to have turned to Voltron, fueled by the magical transformation and clever cheerleading moves from Pidge and Keith. 

"I think it's time to form Voltron again!" Hunk yells. Now that they've sufficiently hurt the Balmera robot enough, there's only one thing left to do...

"Form Voltron!"

The five lions run side by side, Pidge and Keith leaping up atop Lance and Hunk, Shiro flying up...

Everyone slams their controllers-

-and Voltron reappears, reforming right in front of the Balmera, the energy from the reformation blasting them forwards and slamming the Balmera right to the ground!

Everyone keeps a very firm grip on their controllers, slamming everything to the max, barely keeping the Balmera at bay. But they were  _keeping the Balmera at bay_. 

"10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!!!!!"

"Voltron Robotics Club have just gotten themselves a ticket to the finals!" 

Cheers. Loud applause. It's immense!

Everyone drops the controllers. Looks at each other. 

"Did we just win?" 

"I think we just won."

"What the heckathon-?"

"Did you just say heckathon?"

"Guys, we literally just got in the finals. THE FINALS!"

"What the fuck is heckathon?"

Everyone stops talking. And the grins start, the laughter breaks out.

"We're going to the finals!!"

~~~

As with every success, Space Dad is shamelessly coerced into buying two jumbo packs of cup noodles and hosting the gang in his too-small motel room. 

Stars speckle the night sky, the air crisp and cool, a gentle wind blowing through. Night walks, even a short journey on a road from the convenience store to the motel, is a favorite of Pidge and Lance.

Too bad it's not on the beach. 

"Did we have to do this tonight?" Keith grumbles, cradling the cup noodles. The bags are so big that it tickles her face. 

"You're the one that slammed the controller-" Pidge grins impishly, hopping and twirling, sticking her tongue out. Keith growls. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I'm carrying the goddamn hot cups already as my merciful atonement."

"I'm so proud of you guys!" Allura chirps. "I mean, I had full confidence in you and I completely knew you were going to win, but you did seem to struggle a bit in the middle."

"Yeah. We're going to work on strategy tonight." Shiro looks a bit tired when he says this, as if knowing he was going to work with a bunch of sodium-filled kids, 'Spare Parts' blaring in the background for some inspiration well into the night. 

Lance and Pidge hang back while the rest of the team, for some reason, all suddenly pick up pace. Before they know it, they've all disappeared to the motel, the turquoise duo left alone in the night. 

"You-you did great today," Lance rubs the back of his neck, smiling down at her. Pidge grins back, shining like the stars. 

"Not too shabby yourself, Blue." 

They continue on for a while. It alternates between silence and the most random of topics, one of which is "The hypothetical situation in which Zarkon would let us win using bribery, the bribe in question being a jumbo pack of instant noodles." Verdict? Unfortunately not likely, but a nice dream nonetheless. 

They don't notice how slow they're walking. 

Pidge knows she's got to make a decision. She's usually good at making decisions. But...let her have one more day. 

Slowly, she slips her hand into Lance's. For a moment, he pauses, but gives her a gentle squeeze of her hand. 

Walking like a couple, he thinks. It's nice. Before, he thought it was a friend thing...he knows better now. Just talking, swinging their hands between them, the warmth nice in the cold. And gradually, they move closer together, practically sharing the jacket. 

They've reached the motel. Lance doesn't want it to end. 

"Goodnight, my Lance," she wishes, pecking him on the cheek. 

Suddenly, she pauses, as if suddenly realising what she'd said.  _My_  Lance.  And in Pidge fashion, she burns bright red, shaking her hands. 

"Go-goodnight!" she yells, waving a hand at him in departure, running off down the corridor.

Lance grins. 

_She's sure to say yes._

 

 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instant noodles are a delicacy in my country. Just kidding, we eat maggi for breakfast, lunch and dinner :D. 
> 
> Someone tagged me on Wattpad to do a 'facts about me' thing. Should I do it? Tell me in the comments, and I hope you guys liked this chapter!


	27. Chapter 25: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1) Dreams. Nightmares. 
> 
> 2) "Boy, you got me helpless..."
> 
> 3) The final fight. 
> 
> "NO!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. This took too long.   
> Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!

Pidge is standing in the complete middle of nowhere. Nothing except the glassy, translucent floor on which she stands.

_Is this the arena?_

_One by one, things, people begin appearing all around her. And they start to move. Shift. Change. Interact._

_To her right, Voltron materialises, towering over her. The Green Lion raises a hand, almost like a salute. Pidge grins widely, waving child-like at the Giant Robot. The Black Lion's eye shines._

_BOOM._

_Pidge's head snaps to the left, stumbling back, because the Galra robot slams down on the stage beside her, sending her flying backwards into Voltron. The Green Lion helps her up, Pidge running backwards towards the newly-appeared controller behind it._

_The fight begins._

_The Galra robot is bigger and better than Voltron in every way, more modern, beautiful, tall, bulky. And Pidge is so, so alone. Voltron doesn't move until Pidge touches the controller, narrowly dodging a strike_.

_Four more controllers materialise beside her._

_Thank god._

_She won't be alone._

_Pidge smiles, a little more confident. She takes charge of Green, able to deliver some good shots._

_Wait._

_Where is everyone?_

_"Guys! Guys!" Pidge calls out, frantically flicking the buttons, only able to handle so much on her own, darting behind the controllers, her foot taking over the Yellow and Blue lions. "GUYS!"_

_No one answers. Pidge cries out desperately, screaming out for Shiro, Lance, Hunk, Keith, even Allura, but nothing. No response._

_Sweat rolls down the side of her face. Pidge can only watch as the Galra slam Voltron in the face, the chest...finally stabbing a long projection through the chest-_

_"NO!"_

_Voltron stumbles back, losing balance...suddenly exploding into billions of microscopic shards, a brilliant white light radiating from where Voltron stands-or rather, used to stand, because there is no longer even a single remnant of the majestic robot._

_Pidge crumbles. Controller evaporates._

_"N-no-no..."_

_Pidge looks up, startled at the sound of water._

_Lance appears in front of her, eyes closed, arms by his side. Pidge gets up, running towards him, but no matter how fast and hard she runs, the distance between them doesn't change. She's not getting any closer, she's not getting any closer..._

_Lance's eyes snap open, but he doesn't move. He just looks at her._

_He doesn't do anything when a giant robotic fist slams into Pidge._

~~~

Blackness.

"Pidge."

Is this still the void?

"Pidge."

Is it time?

"Pidge!"

Rubbing her eyes drowsily, Pidge sits up, stumbling slightly out of bed, hitting something tall and hard.

"Ugh..."

"You awake, Pidgeon?"

Pidge's eyes finally fly open, alert to the presence of someone who  _definitely_  shouldn't be in here.

Right before her is a handsomely dishveled, impishly grinning Lance, one hand in his pocket and the other in his hair. How does he look so good in the morning? This is unfair! Maybe all the face masks and shit actually does stuff, or maybe it's just the window behind him, but he seems to be literally glowing. Or maybe it's that smile-

Wait.

"What are you doing in here?" she whispers, a little bit too stunned. She's still sleepy as hell, and definitely dumbstruck as hell. The last time they'd woken up together, Pidge had been in complete denial about a crush, not to mention the...rude awakening. But now?

The thought of waking up next to him made her smile inside, and it scares her  _so much_ that it makes her smile.

"I slept over. You don't remember?" Lance peers in, leaning down and perching Pidge's glasses on her nose, giving it a gentle tap in place. "God, how wasted did you get yesterday?"

"W-" Pidge jumps, eyes widening. "We-we drunk yesterday?"

It only takes a second of Lance's bright laughter for Pidge to slap his arm and join him laughing.

"You little shit." Pidge tugs Lance down on her bed, the two landing neatly with an audible whoosh. The bed has never felt more comfortable. "We ate cup noodles."

Slowly, Lance shuffles onto his side to face Pidge, who does the same.

"Glad to know your memory is returning. Probably can't win today without it."

"I was sleepy! You're the morning person with the fucking glowing complexion, I'm the night owl with perpetual dehydration and puffy eyes."

"Nah, you're a cute little owl. But sure, I've got a face mask if you need it-"

Lance continues rambling on about various spa treatments and remedies, but all Pidge can focus on is how happy he looks, vibrant in explaining whatever the hell rose hip oil masks were. She's not even really listening to what he's saying. She's watching the sparkle in his eyes, the corners of his mouth twitching up, the blush on his cheeks.

And she's falling in love all over again.

~~~

**VOLTRON + ALLURA: HOLY SHIT IT'S TODAY GUYS IT'S TODAY AHHHHH:**

**Aquaman** : Where are y'all?

 **nicer gordon ramsey** : Did you just y'all

 **Aquaman** : Keith's fault

 **Texan Cowboy** : What the fuck

 **Pidgeon** : lmao

 **Space**   **Dad** : lmao

 **Aquaman** : Srsly tho

 **Princess** : While you and Pidge did stuff-ahem-we had breakfast and went out to the Space Mall

 **Aquaman** : So you ditched us and went shopping?

 **Princess** : Precisely! :D

 **Aquaman** : > <

 **Texan Cowboy** : At least you two can get some fucking alone time without the rest of us having to sufFER-

 **Space Dad** : Don't do anything, and there's the nearby convenience store for all your-ahem-needs-

 **nicer gordon ramsey** : why do Allura and Shiro give off the exact same energy rn

 **Pidgeon** : the BDE is real

 **nicer gordon ramsey** : yus

 **Princess** : What is this BDE?

 **Space Dad** : So yeah, Pidge and Lance, you two are free to come here and join us if you want. We'll be coming back around three and head to the school around four like they asked.

 **Pidgeon** : No practice necessary?

 **Space Dad** : I think we had enough practice last night after you guys bled me dry of cash for cup noodles

 **nicer gordon ramsey** : hehe

 **Pidgeon** : roger that dad, thanks

 **nicer gordon ramsey** : hey shiro, Keith just grabbed a knife from the seller, you might want to stop him before he either chops his or the seller's fingers off-

 **Space Dad** : be rigHT THERE

 **Princess** : *sigh* Bye!

 **Pidgeon** : bye

 **Aquaman** : baiii

Pidge sighs, tossing her phone on the bed and stretching out. The subtle riding up of her tank top isn't lost to Lance, who quickly averts his eyes.

_Be good, Lance._

"I guess we're alone for a while. A while being a couple hours," Lance starts, eyes looking upwards innocently. Pidge already recognises the behavior, smirking and folding her arms.

"Oh? Did you have anything planned?"

Lance's eyes brighten.

"Well," he starts off,, bowing down and clearing his throat. "A kind soul has bequeathed upon me tickets to the local fair-which I hear is quite fabulous-where there are dances, a smorgasbord of food, and the town's famed gardens to tour. And conveniently, I possess exactly two of these magnificent tickets. It would be my honor if you would be my companion to this fantastic fair today."

Pidge raises her eyebrows amusedly, grinning. Only Lance could talk so...strangely, and not put Pidge off. Only him. He looks up at her from his bowed position, refusing to stand up straight until she answers.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Lance?"

For a moment, Pidge thinks she's overdone the flirting, mostly because:

1) Lance falls splat on the ground,

2) Lance goes as red as Keith's lion,

3) Lance freezes up.

It only takes him a couple hundred seconds to recompose himself, slipping back into his knight-in-shining-armour act.

"Well, my dear lady, it is whatever you would like it to be, date or not."

Slowly, Pidge nods.

"In that case, how could I say no?"

~~~

 **Aquaman** : Thnx bud. She said yes!

 **nicer gordon ramsey:**  Am i supposed to be surprised? *insert me rolling my eyes heavily*

 **Aquaman** : very funny. I'm still scared.

 **nicer gordon ramsey:**  you don't need to be. And by the way, you owe me big, I heard that the food there is amazing.

 **Aquaman** : Yada yada, i owe you the universe. thanks.

 **nicer gordon ramsey:**  stop texting me and go on your date!

"Who are you texting?" Pidge peers up at Lance's phone, tiptoing. Lance quickly shuts off the chat screen, hiding a cheeky grin.

"Oh...no one."

~~~

"Wow!"

Pidge really wasn't sure if this was a date, but she'd worn a dress just to...alleviate her worries, a pretty summery frock she'd always liked with a leather jacket for the weather. The weather is surprisingly perfect too, just cool enough for comfort.

Hopefully, just hopefully, this isn't the literal calm before the storm.

The large field bustles with all kinds of people, children and adult alike, a dance floor and stage in the very back, food stalls lining the way. Further out, Pidge spies a beautifully arranged, flowery area that could only be the famous gardens.

"You like it?" Lance asks, hands casually slung in pockets, eyes similarly surmising the area. .

"Like it? I love it!" Pidge grabs his hand, tugging him through to the main entrance. "Come on!"

Once they're in, they shamelessly pig out on all kinds of food. What else would they do, being presented with such variety and quality? Pidge, in all her Pidge-ness, refuses to let Lance pay for everything, getting him to split on everything instead.

Happily carrying and pigging out on tiramisu parfaits, rainbow jello and garlic knots, the duo carry on towards the back of the fair, just able to catch what the MC currently announces.

"-and the current theme is.....Love Songs from Broadway! Ladies and gentlemen, find your partners and get ready for some slick showtunes!"

"We've got to get on there!" Lance exclaims. "Buuuuut...maybe I'll just have another garlic knot. Or two."

"Or three," Pidge adds, reaching in for a garlic knot herself. An oddly good combination with the tiramisu. The two settle down on one of the many picnic blankets set down on the field, watching the slews of people dance to "Mamma Mia!"

"Hey, if I spoke Spanish to you, would you understand a bit?" Lance wonders aloud, popping a garlic knot in his mouth. Pidge rattles the bottom of the paper bag, disappointed at how quickly the knots were disappearing.

"Well, maybe, but my Italian is shit too, so my Spanish-Italian would be even shittier." Matt was the one good at all the languages, picking up Latin for fun and Japanese from all the anime he watched in one summer. "I never really paid attention in class."

"Of course Pidge Gunderson didn't care, she was just good at it without trying," he jokes. The song switches over to something from Rent, Pidge stuffing in a bite of tiramisu at the same time.

"Hey!" she protests, coming out muffled. "I'm pretty crap at a lot of things when I don't try."

"Let's see. You rock at robotics, anything to do with computers, being absolutely funny and charming-"

"-sounds like you're just describing yourself, Lance-"

"-Nah."

Lance suddenly goes quiet, looking down at the picnic blanket.

"I'm not-nevermind-"

"What is it, Lance?" Pidge asks concernedly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You know, I've never really felt that I'm important to this team. Everyone has a role, yanno? Shiro the leader, Keith the fighter, Hunk the engineer, Pidge the brains, Allura the mentor, Lance the...what? You can't compare me to you Pidge, we are nothing-"

"Shut up. Shut up." It's Lance's turn to look surprised and slightly affronted. "Uh-okay, I know I've got a sharp tongue. Sorry. But Lance, we all think you're an important part of the team! Who drew the blueprints? Who came up with the Mario Kart fundraiser? Who coded with me endlessly?"

Pidge coughs, a slight flush appearing on her cheeks.

"You're not replaceable Lance, especially not to me. I might crack some jokes sometimes...but that's all they are! Jokes! Just wanted you to know-"

Pidge is cut off mid-sentence, tackled by a massive hug, nearly falling back on the picnic blanket. She laughs, wrapping her arms tightly around him too. There's something about this hug that's different, but Pidge can't really place it.

"Trust me. The team needs you."

"Thank you-"

Right there, right then, Pidge just wants to push Lance back and kiss him, just freaking do it, but-

"Now, a love song from a more popular, recent musical...let's just say that it leaves us all  _Helpless_!"

"ERMAGHERD-Lance, let's go!"

Lance barely has any time (or want) to protest before Pidge pushes him off and flies over to the dance floor.

It's really freaking cute seeing Pidge happy about dancing. She's always loved this song, huh?

 _Helpless_!

Pidge still bursts into laughter at Lance's terrible dance moves, but she finds herself unabashedly joining in despite the already judgemental stares surrounding them. Who cares what they think? She's having fun.

"Damn, Pidgeon, trying to beat me at my shitty-dancing game?"

"Don't worry, you're still worse than me."

~~~

"How do you think Lance and Pidge are doing?" Allura chirps, munching on ice cream from some store called Kaltenecker Dairy. "Off on their date."

"I sure hope they aren't getting into any trouble," Shiro muses. "The last thing we need is two disqualified team members."

Hunk scoffs.

"Lance and Pidge together? The only trouble they're going to get into is probably throwing up from eating and then dancing straight away."

~~~

"Aw frick, probably shouldn't have eaten and then tried to do the worm," Lance groans, whacking his back.

"You shouldn't have tried to do the worm, full stop," Pidge chastises.

"Be right back, just going to get some water," Lance groans. Pidge nods, and he runs off in the general direction of their picnic basket.

A couple minutes later, and Lance returns, stumbling through the mob of people.

"Hi-yes, excuse me-dont mind me, you can keep on making your sex tape in public-Hi, Pidge!"

Pidge holds her hand up in a greeting, laughing at the couple that Lance had squeezed in between.

"Oh, we've gotten a request...should we count this, Slav? Off-Broadway...hmm...what the hell, he wants to impress his girlfriend! Ladies and gentlemen, ready yourselves for Seventeen!"

"Lance! Oh my god!" Pidge exclaims, jokingly relaxing herself on his shoulder. "You trickster."

"To be fair, I really did need to throw up."

She shakes her head, smiling.

"Shut up and...dance with me?" Pidge bows, holding out her hand. Lance bats his eyelashes, delicately placing his hand on hers and curtsying, other hand holding an imaginary skirt.

_Let's be normal._

Lance twirls her around gracefully, Pidge letting her skirt flare out around her.

_See bad movies. Sneak a beer and watch TV._

"Come on. I'll take you somewhere," Lance says, pulling her in, hand on her waist.

"The music?"

"We'll be able to hear it."

_Don't you want a life with me?_

The garden. The freaking garden. That's where Lance and her run to, ploughing down a family in the way.

The beautiful garden is empty of people who all occupy the dance floor, so it's only the two of them, and a smorgasbord of delicate, stunning flowers.

Pidge finally understands.

_Can't we be seventeen?_

It's a simple dance, so much better than the first they'd ever shared.

_I could be good with you..._

Lance knew he had to try. Did Pidge really get his message at the beach? She did, right?

Normally, she isn't indecisive to this degree. He's willing to wait centuries for her, but she's normally impatient. Quick to work.

So why is she taking so long?

 _Maybe prom night, maybe dancing_ ,

If there was a prom, he probably would have asked Pidge already. His eyes fall on her, twirling and laughing and giggling, and he changes his mind within a split second.

He definitely would have asked her. Definitely.

And suddenly...

_Don't stop looking in my eyes!_

Their eyes meet. Lance has heard stories of ocean blue eyes, of the radiance of green, but never anything about brown eyes.

God, Pidge's eyes alone deserve a novel.

_So what's it gonna be?_

_What's it gonna be?_

.. _.gonna be..._

Taunt. Fucking taunt. Fuck. How's he supposed to hold himself together when there's a beautiful girl, and his emotions are all over the place with the competition coming up-

"Lance-"

"Yes?" he immediately responds, stopping awkwardly. Pidge coughs awkwardly, taking a step back.

_I wanna be with you!_

"That," she says. Simply that single word. Lance tilts his head, listening again.

_I wanna be with you!_

She looks down at the grass, her toes touching.

"That," she repeats, voice softening. "What she said."

 _Oh._  It finally registers.

"Oh."

Pidge nearly looks as nervous as when in competition yesterday.

There's still a few notes of music left...

"Eek!"

Lance grips her suddenly, pulling her to his side and back into the dance, eliciting a startled squeak from the rather red Pidge.

"Hold me tighter," Lance sings. "Even closer, I'll stay if I'm what you choose..."

She grins.

"You're the one I choose..."

It's happening. It's happening. Pidge looks up at him shyly with half-lidded eyes, slowly tiptoeing upwards. Lance bends down.

_You're the one I choose..._

Lance would think there's only an eyelash separating him and Pidge.

She leans in.

Their lips almost meet...

_RIIIIIIIIIIING! GASOLINA GASOLINA-_

"What the-" Pidge yelps, breaking away. Lance swears under his breath, yanking his phone out of his jean pocket.

"fuc-SHIRO!!" Lance screams into his phone, Pidge having jumped away from his loud ringtone. "TIMING-oh,what, you're saying I have bad timing now-oh SHIT-"

Lance turns to Pidge, throwing his phone back in his pocket and looking very suddenly stressed.

"WE'RE LATE!"

"FUCK!"

~~~

"Oh wow, Tom and Jerry made it in time," Keith drawls, arms folded and leaning on the side of the wall, dressed in the uniform.

Team Voltron has assembled in one of the wings right by the stage, someone showing blueprints of their team and reading out a speech written by the two teams.

"Hey! I'm Tom, right-?"

"Nah, you're definitely the tiny Jerry, Lance. What the hell do you think?!"

Meanwhile, Pidge pants, barely having had time to ditch the ball, shuck off her Cinderella gown and throw on her rags-AKA, uniform.

"I calculated the time and selected the best path to run, all without GPS and after extensive triangul-"

"Pidge!" Allura cuts her off, gripping the sides of her shoulders. "Calm! Down!"

"Can you blame me for being so so amazingly scared and stressed because I mean i was already late to come which is a bad sign already and now we've got to against a team that literally  _no one_  thinks we're going to beat-"

"PIDGE!" everyone screams, effectively shutting her up.

Pidge can only wonder if the

"Pidge, you've got to have a bit more optimism than this. We need to work together."

It's like the team can sense Shiro slipping into that leader persona. So they assemble almost naturally, falling into their positions.

"We need clear heads, calmness. Patience yields focus," Shiro reminds, Pidge for once not needing to suppress rolling her eyes. "The Galra may have more money, a bigger robot, better tech and a more prestigious club, but we have something they don't have."

"-diversity?"

"-actual human empathy and likability?"

"-a cup noodle and caffeine addiction?"

"-a lack of funding and school support?"

"-a pair of idiots who-"

"-HUNK!"

"...I was going to say teamwork," Shiro finishes, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I guess those work too. Anyway, yes, we may be in a position lower than that of the Galra, but that does not mean we resign ourselves to it. It means we focus harder, we try harder, we  _fight_  harder. This is what we've been working towards"

Shiro grins, putting his hand in the middle.

"Voltron!"

Everyone slams their hands in.

"VOLTRON!"

~~~

The robots are in the centre. The paladins in the atriums.

The lady at the podium taps the microphone.

_Thump._

Silence.

"Ladies and Gentleman, introducing our first team, champion for  _eight_   _years_  so far...the Galra Robotics Club!"

Zarkon and Haggar sit at the front, streaky purple stripes on their forehead and bony cheeks, slowly come into view as the atrium cover opens up. Everything about it strikes Pidge as ominous, from the dark lighting, the strange yellow glow of their contact-lens eyes, to the group of Galra standing behind them that closely resembles a Greek play's chorus.

It's almost as if they want to become something from space. Intergalatica.

Zarkon slams his fist down, the raw power stunning.

_Thump._

"And...our second team, making their first appearance as finalists today...the Voltron Robotics Club!"

Pidge takes in a deep, deep breath as she watches the atrium open up above her, opening downwards to reveal the five of them sitting at the controls.

_Five of them._

The gasps around the hall are very unsurprisingly loud. 

It takes people a while to register what it means, having five piloting one robot. For a while, Pidge feels so totally, utterly exposed. There's no turning back now. There's no going back. 

But..somewhere in that worry is pride. Real pride. 

_Our cover-blown out the water._

_Our advantage? Maybe not._

Her heart beats.

_Thump._

"Aaand...the robots!"

Pidge holds her breath and hopes that whatever it was, the Galra robot wouldn't have a big-ass chainsaw or some shit like that. 

The massive, wine-red curtains surrounding the robot cage fall with a loud whoosh, hitting the floor. 

It's...intimidating. Nothing short of intimidating. They'd all seen the Galra robot at the opening, albeit barely, but somehow it's so incredibly different when you know that's what you're up against. 

From the moment her eyes set on the Galra robot, Pidge starts analyzing, swatting Lance when he jokes about her 'glasses thing'. Not the time. They've got to fight three whole rounds now. They need to win two. They  _will_  win two. 

The robot possesses an almost evil beauty, much like the Galra themselves; the sleek workmanship is evident, every grey, purple plate fused perfectly in place, sharp protrusions emerging from the legs and hands. One would immediately know that this is the robot from an eight-time winning club; right up from the terrifyingly painted face, to the cannons on the shoulders, to the stocky legs for maximum balance. 

But something feels off. It's too simple.

"Pidge. Pidge," Lance hisses. 

"Wha-huh?" Pidge's head snaps to the side. "What?"

"...is it just me, or is that robot thicc?"

Pidge smiles. His way of keeping her from stressing. 

"He  _thicc_."

 _3_ ,

Zarkon smirks. 

 _2_ ,

Pidge's grip tightens on the controller. 

 _1_.

"Go Voltron!" Shiro yells. 

"GO VOLTRON!" the team echoes. Their battle cry isn't mimicked by the Galra, rather rousing the audience, who seem excited for this. Pidge had read the articles; apparently they were 'very promising' for a first-time team, their five-way robot split and vice-versa having stirred the robotics community. If they won...that would be history. 

The Galra waste no time in going in, lunging forward towards them. Voltron swings over to the side, dodging the attack. Keith attempts a hit to the side, but they're easily parried away with one swipe of the Galra arm. 

Pidge glances up, seeing Zarkon laughing. Legitimately  _laughing_. 

Soon, the two robots fall into a rhythm, matching blow-to-blow. One thing is for sure; their robot is stronger. So Voltron is forced to stay extremely focused and sharp in order to dodge and counter every little hit. Even one miss-step would be costly.

Pidge jabs at the lower midriff; for the first time, she manages to startle the robot, who defensively staggers back to block it. 

Hmm.

"AHHH!" 

"Pidge, focus!"

The Galra suddenly catch them in the chest, sending them flying backwards and slamming against the metal cage walls. Pidge's heart nearly stops.

"I'm sorry guys-!"

 _CRASH_ -

"Shit-okay, don't panic. Lance, Hunk, ready the thrusters," Shiro commands, Voltron slowly getting back up. That wouldn't read well in the technical evaluation, having taken a hit like that. "We'll be going in for the lower center-it seems to be weaker, so landing a blow there might allow us to throw in a take-down. Ready?"

"Ready!" Lance fiddles, turning to Shiro.

"Ready!" Hunk responds confidently. 

Pidge isn't sure whether to be mad or ecstatic that the Galra were arrogant enough to not attempt a takedown while they were lying pathetically on the ground. It's almost like...they're taunting them, playing a game of cat and mouse. Everything adds up, including Zarkon's laughter earlier. 

_Maybe that's what we have to capitalise on; that arrogance. Show them that we mean business, strike where they think we're weak._

"Guys!" she shrieks. Everyone halts. 

"What is it, Pidge?!"

"I have a feeling if we act helpless enough, we can trick Zarkon into coming closer, exposing the midriff. You see?" Pidge points. "He's not attacking us now, but he's always guarding the middle the most. And he's good enough to block anything we throw at him."

"That makes sense," Lance seconds. "He kept guarding the middle, I saw it too."

"Okay then," Shiro agrees. "Makes sense. We'll aim to fight, maybe take one of his weaker blows first."

The plan set in place, Voltron gets back up and prepares to fight. 

"What, not done yet?" that brat Beezer yells from the other side, inciting laughter from the Galra Greek Chorus (actually, that would make a fantastic shirt). It takes a squeeze from Hunk for Pidge not to leap out of the atrium and fucking strangle Beezer. 

Zarkon doesn't laugh, probably realising he should seem mature for once in his pathetic life, settling for a demure smirk. Lance makes a show of staggering, as if wounded, towards Zarkon. 

"I know Pidge said we've gotta be pathetic, but I think you're overdoing it, drama queen," Keith remarks, making his signature 'done' face. 

"Hey! He'll probably fall for it, look at the sucker! Hunk! Why am I the only one looking pathetic?"

"Because you are?"

"Ooooh, burn..."

Just like they wanted, Zarkon strikes them again, albeit much less strongly, Shiro having activated extra armor secretly. They allow Voltron to fly back and fall spectacularly on its ass, a round of disappointed sighs echoing. 

Zarkon laughs again, slowly approaching the robot. 

"This isn't the Voltron Robotics I remember with Alfor," he remarks coldly. "For one, they actually had a modicum of talent."

It  _stings._ Something burns deep down in Pidge's gut.

He comes nearer, lifting the right arm aloft, presumably to slam into them for the 10-second takedown. 

"Pidge, Keith, ready the sword!" Shiro yells. 

"On it!"

Together, they nod, pressing the activate button simultaneously. In hardly a second, a brilliant blue sword materializes in the Red Lion's grip, a matching shield in Green's grip. Now this technology had taken a long, long time to figure out, but using a combination of studies on nanotechnology and lasers, (and a Star Wars marathon), Shiro and Pidge had come up with a rudimentary lightsaber-style sword that's able to cut through metals with ease. 

"GO TEAM!"

"YEAH!"

They leap up with Blue and Yellow's powerful thrusters, driving the sword right through the center of the robot's very unprotected midriff.

With a sickening crunch, the sword sinks in, cutting it up from the inside.

"AHH!"

They push on, driving the Galra backwards with the sword until finally, it hits the floor with an impressively pathetic crash. 

Pidge looks up, sticking her tongue out at a now-petulant Beezer. 

The crowd goes wild, someone screaming "YOU GO GAY ROBOT!", much to Shiro and Keith's amusement. 

Pidge and Keith quickly deactivate the sword, disappearing out of the midriff, slamming both Red and Green into the center of the chest, because it would have to be hand-to-chest contact to count as a takedown. 

"10! 9! 8! 7! 6-!" 

Pidge can't believe it. 

They're all tense, holding on and pushing their controllers, too scared to loosen up even a little bit, a little bit could cost them astronomically-

"5! 4! 3! 2-!"

Voltron's whole weight is enough to pin down the robot, along with the fact that they had definitely broken some circuits by jabbing the sword in there. 

"-1!"

With a loud sigh, everyone releases their hold on the controllers, still taking the time to slowly pull Voltron back up, rising up on one knee like a medieval knight. The screams ring in their ears, the announcer showing the round's specs. Pidge had taken the time to understand the scoring system properly, but all of it looks like gibberish now; she's too damn happy to think!

"TEAM VOLTRON HAS TAKEN THE FIRST ROUND!" the announcer screams excitedly. 

"YEAH!"

The team hold up their controllers triumphantly, standing up and waving to the crowd. Pidge can only grin, seeing how happy Lance looks with the attention.

Typical.

Now, if she remembers correctly, they've got ten minutes before the next round.

"We will now have a ten minute break before the next round!"

Yup.

Below them, well-trained handlers reset the robots, a plethora of machines handling the Galra. Pidge grins, looking down at the little sparks flying out from the midriff of the robot.

Heh.

But as her gaze shifts to across the atrium, her stomach twists into knots. (garlic knots?)

Zarkon didn't look angry. Mad.

He looked...pleased.

The signboard blinks just as Pidge does, shining with the number 1 under 'Voltron Robotics' and 0 under Galra.

"Psst, Lance, is it just me or do the Galra look very...chill?"

"Hu-uuuh?" Lance echoes, not looking at her and polishing the controller. Shiro, from behind him, beckons for a team meeting. Pidge slaps Lance, eliciting a little 'ow!' but managing to make him look over. Similarly, he takes a while, watching their movements.

The little Galra minions look to be setting up something at the back, connecting cables and fiddling with a complex-looking board.

Hmm.

"We did great, guys. We need to keep this up in the next round," Shiro reminds. "Remember-"

" _Paaatience yields focuuuus"_  they all chorus, bursting out into laughter when Shiro, flustered, goes bright red and speechless.

"We-ll, since you know my leader talks so well," he raises an eyebrow, pinching in his mouth to stop his laughing, "I think there's nothing else for me to say other than 'do your best'. Because that's enough."

All hands go in the circle again.

"GO VOLTRON!"

"Team Voltron, please prepare, Round 2 is beginning in two minutes!" a little assistant appears at the door, squeaking and scribbling.

Everybody suddenly makes a mad dash to their controllers, double checking every wire, every little piece of equipment. Pidge can't resist skimming through the manual one last time, fingers deftly flying between pages

"You don't even need that-!"

"Shut up, Lance!"

"Everybody, please settle down," the announcer yells, "and welcome to Round Two! In case you missed it, Team Voltron performed a brilliant take-down using some clever tactics  _and_ clever technology! Let's see whether Team Galra makes a comeback, or if team Voltron shoots for a back-to-back win and make Nationals history!"

"Definitely the latter," Keith drawls. "Deeefinitely. Yep."

"You sound as confident as a middle-school kid asking his crush out on a date."

"Shit."

"With a score of 1:0 to Voltron, let the countdown begin! Let's hear it!" the announcer yells, holding her microphone out to the audience. This time, it's their turn to count down.

"10! 9! 8! 7-!"

Pidge's fingers twitch nervously. They've got a bit of padding, one single point. Just win one more time. One more time.

"6!"

Zarkon should not be looking this pleased. No.

"5!"

There's something up. Pidge can sense it. The Galra robot looks too damaged to continue. It  _should_ have been too damaged to continue.

"4!"

Everyone is looking more focused, determined than ever, Shiro's eyes closed, Hunk not appearing nervous even in the slightest. It makes her smile.

"3!"

Lance squeezes her hand.

"2!"

Pidge locks eyes with Beezer, who smirks more snidely than she's ever seen before.

"1!"

"And we're OFF!"

Neither side makes the first move. Slowly, the two robots start to circle each other.

Zarkon suddenly stops.

_Click. Click. Click._

Pidge looks up, cocking an eyebrow. What is that sound?

"Guys, look!" Hunk yells. Quickly, Pidge's eyes dart downwards, following his pointed finger. Metal plates begin spiralling up the legs, covering them in an ultra-thick plating resembling swords. Freaking swords-wait-

Finally, it clicks, and Pidge slaps herself for not realising earlier.

"Guys, he's got a second robot! A-A second armour of sorts!" she screams. "We need to attack it before it changes-!"

"Like an anime upgrade transformation?!" Lance shrieks.

"This is my worst nightmare-"

"Is this even legal?!-"

"Kind of! He's basically putting on Zarkon 2.0!! Fucking shit-"

"Okay team, concentrate!" Shiro yells, everyone snapping to attention, trying (and failing) not to let the rapidly morphing Galra robot get the better of them. "We need to attack together, with everything we've got! Keith, form sword, we're going in!"

"3!"

Loudly, two massive pieces of a breastplate shoot out from the back, snapping shut and encapsulating the first robot, which by comparison, now looks puny as hell.

"2!"

The whole time, Pidge is stuck between:

1) Getting really fucking mad that Zarkon had made a fool out of them, probably  _letting_ them win the first round on purpose

2) Fangirling over this brand-new technology, never seen before (damn, the papers would really be talking about this particularly creative finals, huh?)

3) Wondering if it was even legal, considering it was basically a whole other robot, but then again Voltron was really five tiny robots in one-

"1!"

Without time to lose, Team Voltron slam their controllers, lunging with all the raw power in their arsenal, Red gripping the sword and pointing straight at the uncovered midsection, still synthesing an armour.

Breaths held...fingers tense...eyes steeled...

And suddenly, the world is a brilliant, brash, blinding white light.

"AAAAH!"

Everything happens so fast...suddenly, Voltron is suspended in the air, slowly...slowly...falling...

And crashes to the ground.

"AHHHHHHH!"

"I've lost control!" Lance screams, passionately button-smashing. "Nothing's working!"

"What the hell was that light?!" Keith yells. His sword is missing, probably deactivated in the chaos. He tries to reactivate it, tries to push them up. Nothing. "Guys!"

"Guys..." Hunk jumps in, voice wobbling and fingers nervously tightening on the controller..."Zarkon is coming... "

In the midst of all the chaos, no one had bothered to look over at the massive, hulking beast that was approaching, one massive stomp at a time. This-this robeast sported a massive chestplate, hulking shoulders, and multiple sharp protrusions jabbing out of its back, everything lit by ominous purple lasers. The gasps around the room are cacophonous, almost, everyone stunned by the transformation. Stunned into silence once the final headpiece locks into place.

This is the real Galra. They were foolish to think they had a chance, huh? The robot in the first round was a baby compared to this. A fetus.  This...this is completely different. 

The sounds in the room are quickly becoming overwhelming for the tiny Pidge, from the ominous stomps of the Galra robot, the loud arguing of the four boys, the discordance of the audience. 

She nearly zones out, white noise ringing in her ears...but-

_-maybe it's a hack? Maybe it's not completely a physical problem-_

Pidge, after nearly flinging the controller on the ground out of frustration, leaps out of the chair and runs to the computers behind her, monitoring the stats.

"No, no, no, no no no no-"

No. No. No!

"Pidge, report-"

"Our stats are all dead-no power, no nothing! It's like that white light sucked-sucked everything out of us!" she shrieks, frantically pulling up window after window, fingers flying, typing and typing in desperation. Maybe it's just a glitch. Maybe-

"-AHH!"

Pidge whirls around, startled by the loud sound and sudden shaking of the floor.

"NO!"

A giant, purple fist slams down onto Voltron, right on the Black Lion, crunching down painfully. Pidge can see Shiro bite back a curse, everyone, teams and audiences combined, screaming chaotically.

"In a dramatic, almost too-easy move, Team Voltron is down in practically the first minute of the round! Incredible!"

"10!9!8!7!6-!"

The sound starts to blur. Pidge doesn't understand how the hell the Galra managed to practically hack their systems-

wait-

"5!"

Voltron doesn't move, Zarkon laughing as he presses down harder, the ultra-high pitched creaks and scratches painful to their ears.

The crowd counts down.

"4!"

Pidge looks over to the Galra atrium. Zarkon has the audacity to  _yawn_ , only one hand on their version of the controller. 

But...

Just as she suspected. Beezer. He raises an eyebrow cockily, smirking, a silent taunt. Haggar stands behind him, expression unreadable, whispering to him, Beezer listening to every word and nodding in answer. 

That  _fucker_.

"It's been nice fighting with you guys!" Hunk yells.

"3!"

There's no hope. Pidge jumps back to the computer, frantically searching through the arrays of code. Thank god for Lance, keeping her organised. This would be hell without him.

"Guys, we can't lose hope, there's still the next round-"

"2!"

There's no hope of salvaging them now. Pidge can't fix this immediately. 

But maybe someone can help. 

"1!"

"THE GALRA ROBOTICS CLUB HAS TAKEN THE SECOND ROUND!!" 

The little scoreboard flickers 1:1. Yuck. 

While the four boys commiserate in their misery, slouching in their chairs rather pathetically, Pidge has other things in mind than moping around angrily; she hops up, calls for the assistant. And within seconds, Allura bursts through the back door. 

"You called?" she pants. Pidge takes a deep breath in, prepared for a flood of word vomit. 

"You need to go to the referees. I think we've been hacked by the Galra. I don't think this can disqualify them, but if you can get Haggar out of the atrium, I think they can't pull as many tricks as they can. See-" she points over, showing Allura how Haggar commands the little minions they have, including Beezer. "-she's the one organising them. Zarkon's the one fighting."

Allura nods determinedly. 

"I've got you."

The boys look on, stunned, a little confused, as Pidge and Allura high-five, Allura rushing out the door. A few seconds later, she's down at the center, yelling at one referee, trying to diplomatically reason with another. And in another few seconds, Pidge watches as the Galra phone rings, Haggar cursing and heading out the door. 

 _Perfect_. 

Pidge hops on the computer, fingers already flying. They've got-what-twenty minutes?

"Ten minutes, teams, until the final round!" comes a little announcement. 

Shit. 

"Pidge, anything we can do to help?" Lance asks, wrapping a hand around Pidge's shoulder, Pidge fighting hard not to get too distracted. 

"Uh-um, HUNK, hi, please go check on the physical damage and see if you need to fix anything. You guys could go make a game plan for the finals."

Hunk runs out the door, down to join the robot handlers, talking animatedly. Shiro and Keith, ever the perfect strategist duo, sit in the corner, writing on paper, pointing to the controllers. 

"This will definitely be a Nationals to remember, folks, what with the unveiling of two remarkable technologies from two very remarkable teams! Only one more thing could make this event more historic, and that would be Team Voltron winning the next round and breaking the Galra Robotics Club eight-year winning streak!"

"You'll be able to fix Voltron?" Lance asks, frowning concernedly. Sure, he helped write code...but Pidge really was the mastermind. She takes a moment, pausing and turning around to face him. More tenderly than he'd ever seen before, a jarring turn from the frazzled and stressed Pidge just two seconds together, she smiles up at him, holding his face in her hand, stroking his cheek. 

Oh my. His eyes widen, then soften, crinkling at the corners.

"Relax. I've got this. Go with Shiro and Keith." 

For a moment, just for a moment, Lance feels like he wants to dip down and kiss her, and something tells him she wants to as well, but she settles for whirling around and continuing murdering the keyboard. 

Now a blushing, stuttery mess, Lance stumbles over to Shiro and Keith. 

"You done with your girlfriend?" Keith drawls. 

"Very funny."

Something's so admirable about watching her running around, giving orders, being so organised and clear-minded where no one else is. She sets his heart on  _fire_. 

Fire. Fire. 

Hmm!

"Hey guys....I think I have an idea. Keith buddy, you still have that sword?"

Meanwhile, Pidge is frantically typing away. She knows exactly where Beezer might have looked, where she had left the code open. It's a deceptively simple solution, thankfully, so she types in a few final keywords. 

 _Blip_!

"Yes!" she cheers. The controllers blink, little lights running across the surface. Pidge leaps out of the chair, barely hearing Shiro, Keith and Lance cheering and praising her quick thinking, eyes focused on Voltron. 

Sure enough, after Hunk gives it a few adjustments, the whole panel starts to flicker with light, the eyes of the lions lighting up again. The robot handlers adjust Voltron back to a standing position, stepping backwards. 

"YEAHH!!!" they all cheer, once Hunk reappears with remarkable speed back in the atrium. 

"Good job Pidge, Hunk!" Shiro happily swings his arms around them in an uncharacteristically informal style. "You too, Keith and Lance."

"I think we've still got a chance," Pidge dares to say. "We're stronger now. We got knocked down-literally-we know how to deal with it, and I think most of all, we want to fight. We want to take back the win that should be ours and whack Zarkon on the ass."

"Well said, aside from the ass thing," Shiro nods in approval. "Everyone-everyone ready?"

Everyone puts their hands in. No one acknowledges the little assistant who pops in again and says a timid "one more minute!"

"GO TEAM VOLTRON!"

"YEAH!!!"

It's an oddly final feeling when they do settle back into their seats, feel the controllers in their hands, listen to the commentary of the announcer, and hear the very final "NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET THE COUNTDOWN TO ROUND THREE BEGIN! SAY IT WITH ME!"

_"10!"_

Pidge looks over at the atrium. No Haggar. No Beezer. Zarkon isolated, alone. 

_"9!"_

Arguing from down below. Haggar and Allura.

_"8!"_

Audience members are clapping, cheering, yelling. A little drawing of Voltron appears in the crowd. Pidge smiles. 

_"7!"_

The announcer is still rambling. It's all white noise by now. 

_"6!"_

Keith's finger twitches on the 'Activate Sword' button. Typical. For once, his knife obssession is useful. 

_"5!"_

Hunk's finger is already on the Cannon button. Great. 

_"4!"_

Shiro's eyes are fixed on Zarkon, flickering between him and the Black Lion. 

 _"3!"_  

Pidge takes a moment, looking at the computer, the controllers, the manuals. Soak in this feeling one last time. 

_"2!"_

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Lance fiddling, whispering to Hunk. Hmm.

_"1!"_

No time to ask. But enough time to look at Lance, to say everything she wishes to say aloud with a single look. 

_If we win today, I'm choosing you._

"AND ROUND THREE HAS NOW BEGUN!" 

No one's holding back in this round. The Galra immediately pull out a big sword, dashing towards them at breakneck speed. But Voltron isn't about to be intimidated now; no more dodging. No more tricks. Keith fires up the sword, pointing it right at them, breaking out into a dash. Right towards them. 

_ZZZZZING!_

There's a flash of blinding white light again, the two swords clashing against each other with an incredible force, almost shaking the room. The robots tremble, the force of clashing swords immense, powerful, devastating. 

"AHHHH!" 

Voltron makes the first move to break away, swinging around their massive opponent, everyone breathing out a sigh of relief. 

 And the fight truly begins, swords clashing, robots running. There's many chances, many times where both could have ended the other, but the level of skill and determination doesn't allow that to happen; Keith sweats the most here, handling the sword with skillful ease, leading the team to fight their away through. 

"Guys!" Shiro yells. "This isn't going to get anywhere. Hunk, you ready with that cannon!"

"Yeah!" 

"Would be a good time to use it!"

Hunk and Pidge grin at each other gleefully, Hunk slamming down on the Shoulder Cannon button. Immediately, a little panel opens up on Green, a large cannon appearing and locking on the shoulder. 

"FIRE!"

"BAM!" Hunk shouts, slamming down on 'Fire'. A bright hot beam immediately shoots straight out of the cannon, going right to the Robeast. Pidge watches as the beam approaches, everything going into slow motion. For a moment, it seems like it's going to hit dead centre, right where they need it...right before the Robeast swings its arm, a large shield suddenly appearing and deflecting the beam off and onto the metal walls, sparks flying and clanging. 

"Shit!" Lance curses.

"Hunk, try again!" Pidge yells. They don't have unlimited shots, but surely the Robeast can't deflect each shot; the beam is a carefully crafted beam of laser-hot heat that could definitely melt through most materials, especially the metal of the robot's body. So what the hell is that shield? 

Keith quickly dodges, blocking a sword hit from Robeast. 

"Hunk!" he yells, parrying a jab. "Would be good now, buddy!"

"On it!"

The very second Voltron maneuvers into position, Hunk fires again, this time aiming more for the upper chest. As sure as before, the beam fires out, and just as before, the Robeast materializes another shield and deflects it off...shooting right back at Voltron!

"AHHHH!" 

_No!_

Everything around them starts beeping uncontrollably, Voltron flying back and slamming with amazing force right into the metal cage, the sound of breaking circuits and chipping metal sounding out through the room. The audience goes quiet; is this Voltron's end?

They don't have time. The Robeast heads over, Zarkon's face flickering in and out of Pidge's head, all bright yellow eyes and purple face.

Back to reality, Pidge. 

"Guys, do we have movement?!" Shiro yells. "My Lion isn't working!"

"Mine is still!" Lance yells. 

"Same here!" Pidge, Keith and Hunk answer. 

"Guys, you've got to split off from me," Shiro gasps out. "My Lion really isn't working. Split! Keith, you're in charge, I need to fix Black!"

Without any time to lose, Voltron quickly dematerializes the sword, cannon, and breaks into the five lions just as the Robeast swings his sword down, missing the unresponsive Black by just a hair's breadth. 

Shiro jumps out of his seat, heading over to the computer. It was no mistake that Zarkon aimed the beam back at him specifically. No mistake. But this wasn't a hack. This wasn't a trick. The hit was a fair shot that he couldn't begrudge them for.

He closes his eyes.

There has to be a way to fix this. 

Meanwhile, the rest of Voltron has an undeniably difficult job to do: keep Zarkon from destroying Black.

"Protect Shiro!" Keith yells. Alone, they don't have the sword. No shoulder cannon. But they do have their individual powers. Lance darts in front of the Robeast, finally getting to use those freeze rays he'd adored, shooting them right at the feet of the Robeast.

"Aww yeah!" he whoops, darting in and out, between the legs. While the temporary ice doesn't hold Robeast down long, it does piss Zarkon off considerably, Lance laughing at the image of Zarkon gritting his teeth. 

Suddenly, a thought strikes Pidge. 

"Keith!" she yells while narrowly slipping through the literal claws of the Robeast. "Break those protrusions-the ones on the back! I think that's how he's making that shield!"

"On it!"

Keith literally jumps on the command, using Red's superior jumping ability to leap up and claw on the Robeast, working on breaking at the protrusions, bit by bit, alternating the physical breakage with soaring heat beams, melting away at it. 

Pidge activates her cloaking; okay, not really cloaking, but Green disappears out of view for just a few seconds, covered in reflective light, giving her the time to latch onto the Robeast's hand and kick the sword right out of its grip!

"Yeah!" she cheers. The crowd cheers along with her, shouting "Voltron! Voltron!" in support. 

They would never know how heartwarming, how much that support really bolsters the team, rallies them, gives them cause to not give up; people still want them to win, people believe they can win...they can win! 

While Lance, Keith and Pidge do a great job of distracting the Robeast, keeping him annoyed, distracted, breaking it down bit by bit, it's not enough. There's no way three lions can take down such a massive Robeast. 

How to fix Black...how to fix Black...

Shiro's eyes light up. 

"Hunk!" Shiro yells. "I need your help; I'm going to reroute power away from the damaged chestplate. I need you to yank off the chestplate!"

Yellow gains a burst of speed, moving Black away from the center of the arena and to the side. 

"Shiro!" Hunk yells. "I'm going to pull it off! No going back!"

"Do it!"

Yellow's claws dig into the sides of Black, ripping off the chestplate, Hunk grunting in the process, thumbs strained to control Yellow. 

"Pull out Wire A, plug into inlet C..." Shiro rattles off, fingers flying on the computer, faster than ever before. All the sounds of Lance, Keith and Pidge yelling together, the loud screeches from the arena, everything is ringing in Shiro's ears, threatening to shut him down completely...but he's got to fight through. Fight for the team that's done so much for him, the team he's devoted himself to. 

No backing down now. 

"Guys!" Pidge yells, nearly getting slammed by yet another one of Robeast's swords. "He's getting stronger, and we've got no time-oh, what the fuck-guys!" 

"ARGH!" Lance shrieks. 

"Oh my god, you lost the fucking tail!" Keith shouts. "Shiro!"

"Shiro!" Pidge yells, Green flying off to the side. 

"Shiro!" Lance screams, sparks flying off the empty tail off Blue. 

 "Shiro!" Hunk yells, crushed underneath the Robeast. It nearly breaks Yellow in half, saved only by Yellow's superior armour and shield. No more support for Shiro in the arena. 

"Shiro!" Keith screams, the final line of defense. 

"SHIRO!"

He takes in a deep breath. Presses the final button. 

And the Black Lion flickers with light. 

"YEAH!!!" 

In a single second, Shiro is already back at the helm, the controller tight in his hands, and Black is back in action. 

"Nice to have you back, Shiro!" Keith greets. "Leadership back to you!"

A ripple of applause breaks out through the audience at the emergence of the powerful Black Lion, jumping right back into action, narrowly protecting Hunk from getting pounded again. "YEAHH!" they cheer. "GO VOLTRON!" 

The Robeast looks considerably weaker now, even without Voltron's pounding; Keith's gone and broken off some of the deadly sharp protrusions on its back which turns off the shield function, just as Pidge guessed, Lance having done most of the distractions, Pidge having disarmed it of majority of its weapons. 

"TEAMS!" the announcer screams. "TWO MINUTES TO GO! MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN!"

The announcement drives the audience into a frenzy, a mix of support for Voltron and the Galra thrown around, everyone screaming and shouting and yelling more loudly and chaotically than ever before. No one knows how this will end. No one knows, there's two minutes to go...

The timer is ticking. They don't have much time. 

_Tick._

_Tock._

_Tick_.

 _Tock_.

"Team, I think we all know what to do now!" 

"YEAH!" 

The lions start to run in formation, Green and Red leaping up, Shiro jumping up the highest of all. 

"FORM VOLTRON!"

A brilliant burst of lights, sparks, sound, and Voltron appears in front of the Robeast, as majestic, powerful, massive as before. 

Pidge looks up. Zarkon and Shiro stare at each other intently. Two leaders. A challenge. A final fight. Keith brings out the sword. Hunk brings out the cannon for a final shot. 

"TEAMS...ONE MINUTE TO GO!"

"LET'S GO, VOLTRON!"

"YEAH!"

Everything slows down. Time slows down. 

Hunk fires the cannon. Bam. The beam fires out yet again, piping red-hot lasers firing out and finally hitting the Robeast square in the chest, sending it flying backwards into the metal cage with a deafening crunch, Hunk taking the chance to fire one, final shot...slamming right into its midriff with a massive zing!

"YEAH!"

But that doesn't stop the Robeast; it springs back up, sparks of electricity flying, little bits of char and smoke flying out from the crevices of the robot, looking like only a shell of what it once was. No longer powerful. No longer beautiful. 

Pathetic.

All it needs is one last hit. 

One.

More. 

Hit. 

And for the final, final time, the robots break into a run, slamming down into the arena floor mercilessly, running right towards each other with blinding speed. 

Step. 

By. 

Step. 

The countdown begins.

_"10!"_

Finger grips tighten; sweat rolls down faces; teeth grit. 

_"9!"_

Everything goes into slow motion, every single step of the robots momentus. 

_"8!"_

The announcer is screaming bloody murder, the audience is screaming to no end. 

_"7!"_

They're closer now...

_"6!"_

The Robeast's arm shifts into one, final sword. 

_"5!"_

Lance yells something at Keith; Pidge can't hear. Everything is simply too loud...all white noise. 

_"4!"_

Red drives the sword back...preparing to thrust. 

_"3!"_

Pidge looks over one last time. 

Zarkon looks stressed. 

Great.

_"2!"_

Lance looks at her. 

Pidge looks at him. 

They smile. 

_"...1!"_

"AHHHH!"

Voltron plunges the sword right into the chest of the Robeast. 

And it lights on fire. 

Fire. 

The sword is on fire. 

What is this?!?!

"AHHHHHH!" 

Red pulls the sword out. 

The Robeast starts to fall...slowly...its lights flickering out, a stunning, gaping, charred hole in centre of its the chest, sword gone and falling apart...

Everyone goes silent. 

The purple lights go out.

And it hits the ground with a final thud. 

They gape.

_We did it._

_We did it._

_We did it!_

"...LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I PRESENT TO YOU THE CHAMPIONS OF THE NATIONAL FIRST ROBOTICS TRI-CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT: INTERGALATICA....THE VOLTRON ROBOTICS CLUB!"

Everyone slams down the controllers and leaps up, running into a bone-crushing, magnificent group hug. 

"WE DID IT!"

The audience breaks into a chant. 

"VOLTRON! VOLTRON! VOLTRON!"

Shiro's the first to pull away. 

"We did it. We did it!" he yells, eyes sparkling, patting everyone on the shoulder in his own Shiro way. "I-I can't express how proud I am of you guys. We've come so, so far..."

"I can't believe-I can't believe we just beat the Galra!" Lance shouts. "I mea, we went like pow! Bam! Oh shit fuck the robots aren't working! Fixed the robots! Bam, sword in chest, and we win!"

"Nice summary," Keith compliments with a raised eyebrow. "BUT WE JUST WON! WE WON!"

"YEAH!" Hunk cheers, pulling everyone back into the hug. 

While they're all chatting, prattling on about everything that happened, recapping all the stress and excitement and craziness of the day...Pidge can't move. Can't speak. She's too stunned. Too happy. Too surprised. Too elated. 

She smiles. 

This is her dream. Her freaking dream. All of their dream. Winning the National Tournament. 

And they just did it. 

Won. 

Right before the atrium closes, she catches a glimpse of Zarkon.

He's alone. The minions have disappeared. Haggar is nowhere to be found.

He's alone, he's scowling.

Pidge smiles.

_Never underestimate the power of a real team, Zarkon._

Pidge thinks she can't feel any happier when they break out from the hug, go stand on their chairs, wave to the adoring audience, cheering their names. She can't possibly feel any better than this. 

The announcer pulls up images of their blueprints, rattling off the stats and details of the fight and all the clever tactics and technology used, saying how this was a historic nationals for more than one reason, saying how Voltron is truly remarkable, showing great tenacity and skill. She also lists off their massive prize, money and scholarships and grants and honour, most importantly. the honour is what they were truly after.

She can't possibly feel happier-

Wait-

Lance laughs, elated, finally turning to face her. He hops off the chair, Pidge giggling elatedly when he grips her waist and twirls her off and down her chair, like a Disney Princess in a movie. 

Right. Can't forget him.

"Hey," he says with a little, animated wave, almost timidly. "Guess we won, didn't we?"

"Yeah."

Pidge looks into those ocean blue eyes, takes in the shy grin of his face, happy blush dusting his face. Behind his faux shyness, there's a little teasing grin waiting to spring out.

She finally understands; he created the fire sword with Keith and Shiro. Sneaky boy. All on the spot.

 It only takes a look from him for Pidge to finally, finally understand everything, even without words. He loves her. She loves him. 

He lets out a little laugh, bending in slowly. 

The space between them is so small now...

And she finally, finally knows she's not scared anymore.

Pidge kisses him. 

Kisses him for real, feels those lovely lips on her own, her hands wrapping around the back of his neck and rising on her tiptoes, Lance's hand moving from her waist to hold her face more gently and tenderly than ever before. She presses deeper into the kiss, tugging a little on his hair, Lance's arms wrapping around her and pulling her closer. 

It's amazing. Better than Pidge ever dreamed off. Not because of the kiss, but because she's finally admitted what she feels. What she's been hiding from , denying. She's finally answered him. 

_Yes._

_I love you._

For just a moment, there's only them in the world, no Voltron, no Galra, no robots, no audience. 

Only them. 

"WOOOO!"

They break apart, a little stunned, greeted by raucous cheers from the excited audience and knowing smiles from Shiro, Hunk and Keith. 

"It's about time," Shiro snorts.

"Wow, finally!" Keith throws up his hands, laughing.

"Oh, shut up, Keith."

"Just saying!"

Hunk, Keith and Shiro head out the door, whispering to each other the atrium closing off from open view, the computers and controllers shutting down.

They're finally, finally alone. 

Pidge looks up at Lance. The second their eyes meet, it's all they can do before laughing, Pidge pulling Lance into a hug, her head resting on his chest. A familiar feeling, but tinged with something entirely new, like a fire lit in her heart.

She was wrong earlier. This is how she feels even happier. This is the best day of her life.

"I just have to know..." she laughs, letting go of him and bopping him on the nose. "You did the flame sword?"

"Yep," he admits. "Wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well," Pidge says, wrapping her hand in Lance's, fingers interlocking. "I think you surprised me very, very well."

"Likewise! It's about time you kissed me," he teases. "I've been scared, yanno?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Well," she starts off, "you don't have to be worried anymore."

"I don't? Why?"

Pidge's eyes sparkling, she tiptoes again to move close to him, wrapping her arms behind his neck and never letting herself look away from him.

"Because I'll say it for you, Lance McClain. I love you, and I think I've always loved you, and I hope you love me too."

Lance doesn't even respond, closing the distance between them, kissing her again. It's even better than the first, probably because she knows what she's doing now, her breaths growing short and needs growing stronger.

Suddenly, Lance pulls away. Pidge's heart stops.

"Pidge," he says very seriously, gently pulling her back to loon at him, "I'm only saying this for the thousand time, but... I love you. More than anything. Maybe even more than Mario Kart."

Pidge blinks once, twice, then laughs.

 _Ridiculous_.

Why did she wait so long? Why did she make him wait so long? It's always been him, even from the very beginning. Even when she didn't know it, even when she didn't want to admit it, even when she knew it and was scared to take that leap into realms completely new.

She loves him.

So much.

He looks at her expectantly, lips puckered and waiting. Pidge can't help but laugh for the thousandth time that day.

Only Lance. 

"Oh, shut up and kiss me, you doofus."

And he does.

Lance kisses her, and she kisses him, over, and over...

And over again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10080 words in this chapter alone, guys. I've officially broken my record.   
> Tell a friend if you enjoyed this! 
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading, tell me all your feelings about this chapter in the comments! I'm going to respond to each one, and I'll post my Q and A after this! (along with a little something something...hehe...)
> 
> Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, guys! I hope you'll continue to read on as I (update this fanfic (possibly the longest work I have ever written!)
> 
> ...reviews? Comments? Anyone? :-D


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